Hi guys! Yes, I know it's been a while since I've written Naruto fanfiction, but this is a free-write I did for the 365 days writing challenge for 2014, on the theme, 'New Beginnings' hence the title. Whether or not ShikaIno is your thing, I hope you enjoy, and please review!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but if I did, I would want more development for the supporting characters!
With a sigh that was a magnificent blend of exasperation and bemusement, Shikamaru leant back and took in the perfectly crafted ceiling of Yakiniku Q and a fly that was hovering boredly upon it.
Here he was – he didn't know how he had expected a first date with a first girlfriend to go, and so he could hardly so this wasn't living up to his expectations, and yet…
He firmly drew his eyes away from the highly obnoxious fly who's buzzing fixed a perpetual irritation in his ears and onto his date, Ino, who was busy harassing a waitress for the slightly longer than average time they'd had to wait.
"Listen, I understand you're on a very tight schedule at the moment," Ino declared shrilly at the waitress, in an impatient tone that was more devoid of understanding than Shikamaru thought would be impossible to muster. But bless her, she was trying – Shikamaru could see her hands balling themselves into fists as she practically quivered with indignation. He could tell this confrontation would last a while. Resigned to this fact, he slumped in his seat, and his hands wandered over to the chopsticks set beside him. As he twiddled them between his idle hands, he considered the implications of what he was doing.
After one potentially disastrous mission they had to complete with just the two of them due to Choji's incapacitation just prior, him and Ino and had grown closer and she had finally asked him out on a date. Because, she correctly noted, Shikamaru simply didn't do the troublesome thing of making the first move. And for their first date, where a better place than Team Asuma's favourite haunt, Yakiniku Q?
Well, Shikamaru could think of several places better than the barbecue joint – his idea of a perfect first date for example, would be lying on the hill, watching clouds. But Ino wouldn't hear a word of it.
"Come on Shika!" she had whined, as she dragged him disharmoniously towards the shop. "You need to live a little!"
Or, as Shikamaru reflected, living a lot, because of the insane amount of time Ino's high-pitched ranting about how long the service was taking, not realising they would have got their order a lot sooner if she had simply broken the habit of a life-time, sat down and shut up.
Shikamaru slid the now fairly worn-down chopsticks through his fingers and began to rhythmically tap them on the side of the table. He couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, but it gave him something to do whilst Ino's argument with the waitress began to get personal.
"Just because you're completely, utterly and deniably jealous of my looks and talent!" Ino shrieked, slowly rising up on her toes as she attempted to intimidate the mildly annoyed and unflinching waitress. "It does not give you any right to let me and my companion starve over there!"
"My companion and I…" the waitress corrected quietly.
"DON'T FACETIOUS WITH ME!" Ino screeched, her face now beat red, resembling Choji when he was too generous with chillies. "I demand to see the manager!"
"Finally!" the waitress' voice was heavy with chagrin. She rolled her eyes to the ceiling as though giving thanks for the burden being taken from her. "I shall go and fetch him, miss." She placed horrendous emphasis on the last word.
Ino exhaled heavily, panting and sweating like she had just run a ten-mile race. She bit her lip in irritation as she waited, shifting her balance from foot to foot, jolting her breasts every time she did so…
No, Shikamaru told himself, hastily looking down at the chopsticks. He was not here to cock an eyeful of her anatomy, even her curvaceous boobs and that wonderful rounded arse-
STOP IT! Shikamaru grunted in annoyance with himself, clenching hard on the chopsticks and in a desperate attempt to distract himself from his dirty mind, stabbing them repeatedly on the table. He was not a pervert, he was not. And he wasn't going to become one.
"And how can I help you miss?"
At this, Shikamaru looked up. His eyes widened as he saw the man leaning over the counter.
He was clearly quite young, only in his early to mid-twenties, with dark air hanging around his face in almost pain-staking perfection, equally dark eyes and with a tanned and muscular body any bloke could dream of. Even as he watched, Shikamaru saw Ino's expression change immediately. Her eyes instantly widened and her face became slack and carefree. A lazy, dreamy and sickly smile came over her features and she wandered over to where the man's dark eyes, seemed to beckon. The chopsticks in Shikamaru's hand both snapped in half as his grip on them became too envious and emotion-heavy for them to handle.
"You're not the manager, surely?" Ino asked, her voice taking on a new, sickening, honeyed and sugary tone, one that came straight from the giggling schoolgirl within her. She leaned very obviously over the counter, so that her breasts were on show, her backside sticking out and one her legs absent-mindedly jiggling as she took her weight off it.
"Well, no," the main replied, an equally sickening grin on his own face. He too was slowly leaning forward. "I'm his son. He's currently busy with other duties, so I'm taking over for today."
Ino gave a soft giggle, allowing one hand to twiddle with her hair, curling a few strands around her fingers. The other hand was clenched tightly against her thigh.
Shikamaru had seen enough. Standing up and striding over quicker than he had expected, he stood directly behind Ino and cleared his throat.
Ino gave a small squeak and withdrew from the counter, standing impeccably straight.
"Oh," she said silently, a pink tinge adorning her cheeks. "Shikamaru…"
"Hi Ino…" Shikamaru replied bitterly. He shot the disappointed looking manager's son a filthy glance that clearly wished him a painful death and took Ino's hand.
"We were just leaving!" he announced. And so saying, he turned and left the shop Ino following him.
"Shikamaru!" Ino protested dispiritedly once they were outside. "What was all that about?"
Shikamaru gave a great sigh and ran a hand through his hair.
"I could ask you the same thing!" he complained. "First you start having a go at the waitress, and then you flirt with the manager's son! I mean what was all that about?"
Shikamaru had expected a shrill retort. What he got instead was Ino's features becoming suddenly saddened, her eyes shifting the ground, biting her lip and wringing her hands nervously. Shikamaru was rather taken aback.
"I'm really sorry," Ino murmured. "I wanted this to be perfect, but I can't believe it took so long for our order to arrive…"
"What?" Shikamaru exclaimed incredulously, to which Ino looked up, confused.
"Did you really think that I was particularly bothered by that?" Shikamaru asked, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head. "Is that what that shouting match was all about?"
"Well yeah…" Ino murmured in reply, equally awkwardly, avoiding eye contact with him. "I mean…you're always complaining about things…and you know, I thought if I could win you over with an amazing first date with nothing to complain about…what?" For suddenly, she noticed that Shikamaru was laughing. It wasn't particularly hysterically, but he was very obviously chuckling behind his hand, shaking his head as he did so.
"What?" Ino demanded again.
"Ino, I don't care about the quality of the date or the service I receive," Shikamaru explained. He felt a small flush creeping up his neck as he took Ino's hand, but was content to see that the flush was mutual as he looked into her sparkling cyan eyes.
"What I care about is spending time with you," he finished, coughing and then smiling in a slightly awkward way. But Ino found a wider smile creeping onto her own face. "You mean that?" she asked hopefully.
"Yeah!" Shikamaru nodded, his grin broadening. "I wouldn't have agreed to go out with you otherwise! Sometimes, trying to make everything perfect is too troublesome – the world isn't perfect, and we've just got to go with what we've got."
"Nice!" Ino beamed back, her eyes shining with anticipation. She quickly took both his hands as she took control of the conversation.
"But if this is going to be our new beginning we need to lay down some ground rules to let it last," she explained. "Because sometimes we're just too different…"
"Right…" Shikamaru muttered, the awkwardness returning as he shifted his eyes around. "What exactly are you suggesting?"
Ino smirked at him.
"Well, for one," she said, playfully poking him in the chest. "You need to pull your weight a bit more often. I like your laid-back attitude, but there is a fine line between that and laziness!"
"Point taken," Shikamaru agreed, scratching that back of his head. "But in return, you need to tone down your over-reaction to everything, and definitely no more flirting with sons of managers!"
Ino giggled.
"Alright!" she agreed. "So with that out of the way, now we can get on!"
So saying, she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. Even as Shikamaru felt the hot flush blossom brilliantly on his face once more, he felt Ino taking his arm and leading him away.
"Where are we going?" Shikamaru asked.
"To the Konoha Carnival!" Ino called back. "It always starts this time of evening!"
Shikamaru made a face.
"The carnival is always such a troublesome drag," he complained.
Ino stopped and turned to face him.
"Come now!" she coaxed teasingly. "What happened to pulling your weight?"
Shikamaru sighed.
"Oh, alright," he agreed. "Just for you…" he cleared his throat.
"Ahem…umm…but we're just doing one activity, right? And then I'll walk you home?"
"Sure," Ino grinned slyly, knowing that on the inside, Shikamaru was so soft they'd up doing as many activities as she wanted. "Come on, what are we waiting for?"
Thanks for reading! Once again, please rate and review. Criticism is welcome, (provided it's constructive) though of course praise is more! :D I hope you all have a great new year!