A/N: ShikaIno is one of my most favorite pairings. It always has been, something about the two polar opposite personalities just makes me smile when they come together. This story was inspired by a dream I had, it's a sweet romance, and friendship one-shot. I find it simply adorable, and I hope you will too! R&R!!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do, however own this cavity-inducing plot!

Ino's Bedroom

"Shika…"

Shikamaru opened his eyes reluctantly pulling himself away from the sweet darkness to the near blackness of the room. "Shika!" He reached up the wall, turning on the light. From his position on the floor he could see that the seven-year-old blonde girl that he called one of his best friends was sitting up in her bed, eyes wide with fear.

"What is it, Ino?" he asked sleepily.

Her eyes fell to her hands before she said unhappily, "I had a nightmare…" Shikamaru contained his sigh before kicking off the quilted blanket that was sinfully warm and comfortable. "You know," He started, "it isn't really a sleep-over if we don't sleep.". Ino pulled her blankets tighter around her. "But I can't sleep Shika!" She said rushedly, "I just can't!" she gave a pathetic sniffle for emphasis or cause she was actually scared, Shikamaru wasn't sure.

But he had to go comfort her, of that much he knew. She really did look scared out of her mind, with her platinum blonde hair sticking out in all directions, and her skin looking paler than usual. What kind of best friend would he be, going back to sleep with her like that? 'A happily asleep one.' He sighed the beautiful thought away, turning his body to face the blonde. Ready to fu-fill his best friend role.

"What I can do to help you sleep?" He asked. Ino thought about it for a moment, her lip pursing in thought, then her eyes brightened immensely.

She got up from her spot and disappeared under the bed for a moment, only to return again thrusting a book in Shikamaru's's face before leaning up against his side. "Tell me a story Shika." She said. Shikamaru looked down at the title. Goodnight Princess.

"Ino…" he sighed, knowing that his arguments would prove useless, but he figured he'd give it a go anyways.

"Pleeeeeeeease!" Ino whined, pinning him with her big, adorable blue eyes.

"If I'm the guest, then why do I have to read the story?" Ino shrugged before offering. "You can read and I can't?" She did make a pressing argument, and he wasn't getting to sleep any other way, what's an 8-year-old to do?

"Alright," He sighed again, resigned, "I'll tell you the story, but don't tell anyone I read this to you." He gave her his best serious look, Ino nodded vigorously in response, leaning more of her weight onto him: a perfect example of avid attention. Shikamaru took a deep breath, opening the contraption that decided the fate of his sleeping.

"Goodnight Princess

By: Ammom Ruoy

Once Upon a Time, in a far off Kingdom. There lived a beautiful princess named Princess..."

Shikamaru glanced up at Ino, giving the girl a grin. "Princess Ino." Ino giggled in delight, Shikamaru smiled before continuing.

"The princess was loved through ought the kingdom because of her kind heart, and her gentleness to those no one else would love. The Princess lived in a tall tower with a long balcony where she liked to keep a garden. In this garden she grew big healthy plants, and beautiful flowers of every color imaginable.

Almost every morning when she went out to water her plants a boy who watched the kings hunting dogs would walk in the courtyard below the tower. His name was Yoshita."

"Yoshita? Whose Yohita?" Ino interrupted. "I don't know, ask the story." He tilted his head towards the book, as if she actually should. Ino cocked her head curiously to the side. "Well, why can't the boy's name be Shika?" she asked.

"Cause I know how this story ends." Shikamaru muttered. Ino must have not heard him, for she continued, "Come on Shika, pleeeeeease?"

"No."

"Pretty please?" She asked again.

"No," he cleared his throat, as if the action would stop her onslaught of pleases.

"Pretty please with whipped cream, and a cherry on top?" No such luck.

"I'm lactose intolerant"

"What's that?" she blinked curiously.

"Nothing important." He brushed it off, not wanting to get into explaining anything.

"Come on, pleeeeee-"

"Alright," He said quickly, the headache already starting to form, "alright" Shikamaru muttered once again in defeat. Ino grinned triumphantly.

"Almost every morning when she went out to water her plants a boy who watched the kings hunting dogs would walk by the castle. His name was Shikamaru."

"Shika." She interrupted, he turned towards her in question, 'What does she want now?'

"Yes?"

"His name – its Shika." She said to him as if he had somehow gotten the color of the sky wrong.

"…Right." He sighed again, before repeating the last line of text to her liking, "His name was Shika."

"Thank you." That was her last interruption before he continued on with the story.

The Boy was terribly sh,y and could never get up the courage to talk to the Princess in person so he always stayed down in the yard and talked to her from there. The Princess didn't mind. In fact, she enjoyed the boy's company; despite his shyness. And this went on nearly every morning until the cool fall months.

One day, when the princess was out in the garden picking her fruits from the plants the boy appeared. "Hello, your highness." He said with a deep bow.

The princess smiled.

"Hello, it's a lovely morning isn't it?" The boy nodded. "Those fruits you have look good." The princess picked up a basket filled with the delicious looking fruits. "I'm going to give them to the children in the village, they seem to enjoy them."

"That's very hospitable of you." The boy said.

Just then one of the fruits fell out of the basket and landed in a tree that reached up past the balcony. When she reached over the railing to pick it up she slipped and fell down into the courtyard below, landing in a thick thorn bush. When the boy rushed over to help her, he found she was fast asleep.

He quickly called for help, and soon the princess was up in her tower again with all the palace doctors surrounding her.

One of the doctors explained that the thorn bush she had fallen in had special properties. If someone were to be pricked by the thorns in the bushes they would fall into a deep sleep, and only a genuine expression of love could awaken her."

"Will she be alright? Oh please tell me she'll be alright Shika!" Ino whimpered, and demanded all at once.

"Ino, if I told you that it would spoil the ending." She gave a pathetic sniffle, "And besides," He said softer this time, "We have to be quiet, it's way past our bed time." Ino made a motion like she was zipping up her mouth, handing him the "key" Once it was safely in his pocket, he continued.

"So the king issued a proclamation to the land, asking boys from through ought the kingdom to try to waken the princess. They knew somewhere there must be someone who could wake her up. He even offered a large reward of gold, and fine jewels.

The kingdom boys came showering the princess with hugs, kisses, and declarations of love, but none of them were able to wake up the princess. Soon it began growing ever colder, and the fall months grew into cold winter ones. It seemed as though the princess would never wake up. The kingdom grew saddened over her plight. The king and queen wore black to signify their mourning but one of the saddest was the boy from the courtyard.

He had watched the princess in hopes she would wake up but it seemed as though she would never wake up, and his royal friend was going to be lost to the darkness of rest. He only grew sadder and sadder until one day…"

Shikamaru stopped, glancing down at Ino. "Are you crying?" Ino sniffled, wiping her eyes on her pajama sleeve. "No, 'course not." And with that she began sobbing. Shikamaru sighed, grabbing some Kleenex off the nightstand and handing it to her, "Here.". She blew her nose, handing him the dirtied Kleenex.

"Gee…thanks." Shikamaru said sarcastically, throwing the used tissue in the trash bin. Ino took a deep breath, ignoring his previous statement and looking up at him with determined eyes. "Alright, I'm fine now." Shikamaru couldn't help but smile as he shook his head. "Troublesome girl."

"…he finally approached the princess's bedside. Around him the noblemen and ladies-in-waiting scoffed and sneered.

"He's only a palace servant, what can he do?" they said.

But the boy ignored them. He gazed down on the princess's gentle sleeping face, and was nearly over-come with shyness. All he could bring himself to do was say softly into her ear "Goodnight, Princess." And with that he turned and left the tower, to run away and never return.

No sooner had the boy left, the princess sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes sleepily. "Oh my, what on earth happened?"

The king explained quickly how the princess had been asleep, and how many boys all over the kingdom had tried to wake her but only just a few minuets ago the boy from the courtyard had woken her. The Princess quickly got up from her bed and put on her slippers. She began running as fast as she could to the door.

All around her the noblemen and ladies-in-waiting pleaded her not to go. "But Princess, why would you marry him? He's only a lowly servant."

"I know." The princess said.

"But princess, it is snowing. You can't go running around in your pajamas and slippers, you'll catch your death!"

"I know." The princess said.

"But Princess, if you marry that boy, you won't get to be queen." She paused before the opened door way.

"I know." She said, and with that the princess ran out of the room. The king watched and smiled, silently giving her his blessing.

Mean while the boy from the courtyard was riding on the back of an Ox cart, filled with hay, out of the kingdom as the snow swirled around him. "Wait!" The boy looked up and was surprised to see the princess running after the ox cart.

"Princess? What are you doing here?" The boy asked in shock.

"I want to come with you!" She called after. The boy looked surprised. "What?"

"I know you were able to wake me up, and I want to come with you!" she said.

"But... why me?" the boy asked.

"Because…" She couldn't finish because she was out of breath from running. The boy quickly reached out and helped her up into the cart. "Because…I…love…you…" the princess said between gasps for breath. The boy looked even more surprised as well as bashful. He muttered something the princess couldn't hear but she knew in her heart what he had said. "...I love you too..."

Soon they made arrangements that the next town the Ox cart stopped in they would get married in, and by the time they had finished the sun had long since disappeared from the sky. So the princess lye back in the hay and closed her eyes. The boy simply smiled taking off his small jacket and wrapping it around her shoulders. And he whispered in her ear one thing,

"Goodnight, Princess."

Shikamaru shut the book. "So there's your story, can we please go to bed now Ino" Silence was his answer,

"Ino?" He looked up and found Ino fast asleep. Shikamaru sighed, getting up to turn out the light. As he did he looked back at Ino. She looked so at peace, despite the fact he knew she'd be bombarding him for the story's end in the morning, but for now her face seemed gentle, like she was having a pleasant dream.

He quietly walked over to her. Gazing down at her soft, innocent face as he whispered, "Goodnight, Princess." With that he turned off the light, lying back on his makeshift bed, quickly drifting off to sleep.

He didn't see the smile that played across Ino's lip's.

~fin~

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