True Feelings

Shikamaru lay alone in the grass. He was staring at the sky as he normally did when he was on his own. Cottony white clouds floated freely as a gentle breeze caressed the lazy boy's skin. The world seemed so relaxed, so carefree. It was moments like these that made him feel free and genuinely happy.

Clouds are sure nice, Shikamaru thought as closed his eyes, Freely they float across the endless sky without a care in the world…

Unknown to Shikamaru, Ino had been watching him the entire time. She was leaning her back on a nearby tree, a smile playing at her lips. Slowly the blonde kunoichi crossed her arms and shook her head.

Shikamaru is so lazy! Ino thought to herself, But I have to admit he looks kind of cute like that.

Her last thought surprised her. Sure she no longer thought of Shikamaru as 'uncool' but to think that he was cute? And was she… blushing?

What's wrong with me? I like Sasuke. No way could I ever like a guy like Shikamaru, she insisted.

The cool breeze picked up, causing Ino to shiver unexpectedly.

Did you notice that sign? Sasuke will never pay any attention to you. Besides he's with Sakura, remember?

Ino smirked smugly at the last thought. It was true; Sasuke and Sakura had been dating for a month, much to the torment of Naruto. At least the knuckleheaded boy had finally realized that Hinata liked him and three weeks later they were still dating.

Billboard Brow actually managed to beat me!

A single cherry blossom fell from the tree on which Ino was leaning. Slowly the blonde held out her hand, catching the delicate pink blossom in her hand. She stared at it thoughtfully, seeing the smiling face of her best friend Sakura.

You weren't upset in the least when Sasuke asked Sakura out. You were actually very happy for her. Besides… you like Shikamaru.

Perhaps Ino did like Shikamaru. Was that really so terrible? Ever since Sasuke and Sakura started officially dating she had found herself thinking more and more about her shirker teammate. She found that she really enjoyed spending time with him during training and missions and that she actually wished for more time alone with him. It wasn't that she disliked Choji or Asuma-sensei, it was simply…

Here's your chance to spend some quality alone time with him. Better take it before he finds some one else. After all, if Naruto can find a girl Shikamaru can do it too!

Ino started toward the place where Shikamaru lay in the grass, taking slow steps to reach her destination. Once she got there she knelt beside him, quickly noticing that she was staring at him.

You know… Shikamaru is actually quite handsome, Ino admitted to herself, blushing slightly.

Moments later Shikamaru opened his eyes slowly. Once they were fully open he saw the blue eyes of his kunoichi teammate staring back at him.

"Ino!" the startled shirker exclaimed, immediately sitting up.

"Good morning, sleepy head," Ino greeted with an adorable smile.

"What are you doing, sneaking up on me like that?" Shikamaru demanded as he forced himself to calm down.

"Oh, nothing…" replied Ino mischievously.

Women are sure strange… Shikamaru thought to himself in confusion.

At that moment Ino surprised both herself and Shikamaru when she kissed him. When she pulled back she noticed that Shikamaru's eyes were huge and also that he was blushing. His shocked reaction caused the blonde to smile slightly.

"What did you do that for?" demanded Shikamaru as he tried to regain his composure.

"No reason…" Ino replied, blushing shyly.

"Is that right?"

"Y-yes…" she replied, playing with her long blonde hair nervously as she looked away.

"Uh… Wanna do it again?" asked Shikamaru as he scratched the back of his head.

"Do you mean it?" inquired Ino as she returned her gaze to her companion.

"Yeah."

With a smile, Ino gently wrapped her arms around Shikamaru's neck and looked into his eyes. Once he had wrapped his arms around her Ino kissed Shikamaru again. The wind swirled around them, carrying leaves and flower petals in a way that made it seem they were dancing. Cottony white clouds floated above them in the sapphire sky as though there wasn't a care in the world. The world seemed to be in perfect harmony as the two teens remained in each other's embrace.

Rain Crystal: There you have it, another InoShikamaru one shot. I'm actually pretty happy with this one and I hope you guys are too. The inspiration for this story came from a picture of Ino in the first profile book. It seemed like a cute idea so naturally I penned it. Tell me what you think of yet another of my late night projects. (Yawns for emphasis)

Btw, if anyone could recommend any good InoShikamaru stories could you let me know? Also, just a strange question but how do people feel about InoSasuke?