\\~Stray Puppy~/
Hi, my name is Ino Yamanaka, And I am currently looking for a boyfriend. Well, it's not like I'm at the mall checking out hot guys that walk past right now, well, I kinda am.
No! No, I'm not! Right now I am searching for a birthday present and no matter how many hot guys walk past me, I will not be sidetracked.
"Hey beautiful." A tall boy with black hair walks up to me. Ooh! Tall dark and handsome! No! Stay focused, Ino!
"Sorry to disappoint you, but I already have a boyfriend." I give him my best get-out-of-my-sight glare to get him to leave. It doesn't work.
"Really now?" He asks, ignoring my glare and snaking an arm around my shoulders. "Where is he?"
"It's not like I'm always with him!" I blush a little, getting out of his grip. Wait, why am I blushing?
"He should know better than to leave a beautiful girl like you alone at the mall." He smirks, putting his arm back around my shoulders.
"What'd'ya say? Why don't we go back to my place? He'll never know." He whispers in my ear. He must've practiced a lot because he sounded sex-e!
"Yes he will, because he's right there!" I yell, pointing to a random boy. The boy glares at me. Fortunately the creep ( I found out that he dyed his hair black just to pick up girls) takes it as the boy glaring at him. So he turns tail and runs.
I go over to the boy and smile at him. "Thanks." I say. "You don't know it, but you really saved me there."
"Sure I did." He says sarcastically.
"What?" I question, confused.
"Seriously?" He growls. "You didn't look like you wanted to be saved. In fact, it looked like give anything to jump into that guys bed."
"Wh-what?" I yell. "That is so not true!"
"Of course it isn't." He sighs, still being sarcastic.
"It isn't!" I shout. "All I was doing was trying to find a birthday present and that guy jumps me!" I huff.
"Birthday present?" He asks, looking a little interested.
"Yeah, why? What's it to you?" I demand, still mad at him.
"Nothing. I was just curious on who it was for." He says, crossing his arms over his chest, closing up all of a sudden.
"We-well... It's for me." I say, a little embarrassed.
"You're buying yourself a present? Well, that's a little..." He trails off, looking for the right word.
"Selfish?" I spit out, getting mad again.
"No, I was thinking different." He says. "I've never thought of that before."
"Well who needs to buy there own present when they have parents who can do it for them, Like they're supposed to?" I growl. "Well, when they don't care about their only daughter and send he a measly $20 back from their overseas job, what else am I supposed to do? I can't believe them!" I yell, and stalk off.
I walk into my favorite accessory store still fuming. So when someone grabs my arm, I spin on them, ready to tear their head off. "What do you want?" I demand. "Oh, it's you..."
"Yeah, me. Your 'hero'." He smirks, a little taken aback by my demeanor.
"I-I never said that you were my hero!" I stutter.
"Man, you sure know how to change moods fast." He mutters.
"What?" I ask, not hearing what he said.
"No, nothing." He brushes it off. "Hey, can you buy me something?"
"Huh?" I ask, confused.
"You know, for me saving you." He smiles.
"Technically you didn't save me. I just lied to that creep about you being my boyfriend." I point out.
"Well, then can you buy me something because you used me and it's only fair?" He asks.
I sigh. "Fine." I mutter.
"Sweet." He smiles, a little more genuinely this time. We walk around the store, searching for something I can buy for him.
"Hey," He says suddenly. "you were originally getting it for yourself, right?"
"Yeah. My parents sent to $20 early this year." I reply, looking at a cool skull keychain.
"Sorry, but I'm not into that kind of stuff." He laughs. I frown and put it back. "So when is your birthday?"
"Tomorrow, September 23." I smile. "I'd tell you my age, but you don't need to know that." I tease.
"Cool." He smiles to himself.
"What is?" I ask. "My age?"
"No, your birthday. It being tomorrow and all." He says, looking over at me.
"Ok...? I guess..." I say. He knows something, but what is it?
"Here, I'll take this." He says, holding up a forest green sweatshirt that says 'I can be an idiot cuz I'm gonna rule the world' on the front, and on the back it says, 'what's your excuse?' I laugh.
"Nice." I walk up to the cash register with him trailing behind me.
"Do you have a discount card?" The girl asks, she's got pierced ears and eyebrows. Frankly, I think she could scare Dracula if she wanted to.
"Yeah." I hand it to her.
"Then it's fifty percent off. You owe $10.15." She yawns. It doesn't help that she has fake fangs.
"Thanks." I pay and we get out of the store. I hand the sweatshirt over to him.
"Thanks. I really needed something like this. It's going to get really cold soon." He says, smiling down at the sweatshirt.
"Don't you have any sweatshirts?" I ask.
"No, not one." He says, looking as if he's about ready to bolt if I ask anything else.
"Hey." I say, grabbing his wrist, trying to keep him here. "Why don't we go get something to eat?"
"Sorry, I don't have any money on me." He says, realization dawning on his face. "I-I gotta go anyways." He says, trying to get away.
"Don't worry, I'll pay." I smile. "Besides, who comes to the mall without any money?"
"Homeless people." He says, being a smart-Aleck, but I already figured it out.
"Yeah, homeless people. Hey, you never said your name." I state, just realizing that.
"Shikamaru." He says.
"Well, hi, Shikamaru. My name's Ino Yamanaka. Got a last name?" I ask.
"Yeah." Is all he says, looking away.
"Mind telling me?" I ask.
"Look, you already know my name, I've got no money because I couldn't even buy a sweatshirt, and you also know I'm homeless. What more do you want?" He demands, suddenly getting mad.
"Well, for one, your last name." I point out, smiling. He sighs, giving up.
"Man, you're so... so..." He searches for the word.
"Annoying?" I fill in.
"No. Troublesome." He sighs again. I laugh. "It's Nara. Shikamaru Nara."
"Hmmm... Nara, huh? That kinda slips off your tongue, doesn't it? Shikamaru Nara." I say, testing it out.
"Okay, second question, why are you homeless?" I ask, still holding onto his wrist so he wont run.
"Because I don't have parents. They're dead." He sighs.
"Wow." I say, a little shocked. "I'd say I'm sorry, but you've probably heard that all your life. So, I'll only ask you two more questions to be fair."
He sighs again. "Fine."
"Number three, When is your birthday?" I ask.
"Today's September 22, right?" He asks, I nod. "Then it's today." He shrugs.
"Really?" I ask, an idea coming to mind.
"Yeah."
"Okay, last question. Can I give you a birthday present?"
"But you already got me the sweatshirt." He says.
"That's okay, can I give you another one?" I ask.
"Um, sure, if you want to..." He trails off, looking at me strangely.
"Good!" A huge grin comes across my face. "I'll give you a place to sleep!" And I bring him home like he's a stray puppy.