A/N: It's Wings-chan's birthday! Hoorah! Happy birthday!!! Here's a simple ficcie just for you as wished. Enjoy!

LITTLE PLACE

Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto.

Fanfiction © ArAshiMitArAshi

She is loud and troublesome, definitely not his type. But he couldn't deny the chemistry between them. It really is comforting just being around her. She is fun to be with.

He feels the attraction. At first, he just shrugs the matter off but later, he finds out that he couldn't lie to himself. He starts chasing after her – secretly, of course.

He doesn't know how and when he falls in love with her. It just happens.

But he thinks he knows how and when he realizes he begin to like her more than friends.

Maybe it happens the moment he first cries in her arms.

His feet brought him to the end of the corridor. He still had the remaining tears on his face. It was really shameful losing himself back then, more importantly, in front of his father, the Hokage and the Sand kunoichi. But he really couldn't help himself. He thought he was going to lose his one and only best friend.

Now he needed to get away and gathered his spirit back – in a peaceful place, preferably.

But as he turned into a new pathway, he bumped into an unexpected somebody: his other teammate.

She looked at him with her big blue eyes worriedly. "Thank goodness I found you here!" She exclaimed in relief. "Where's Chouji? How is he doing?"

He wasn't sure if she saw his wet cheeks because he turned his face away from facing hers rather quickly, simply answering, "He's saved."

Later in the day, when he was watching the clouds at his usual spot alone, she came looking for him. At first he was surprised. He never found her there. It was always he and Chouji on the rooftop.

But then again, he didn't feel weird. Maybe she noticed his raging heart and came to calm it down. As troublesome as she always been, sometimes she could be such a soft and sweet girl.

"You should see Chouji." She occupied the space beside him.

He didn't tear his gaze off of the clouds. He kept on watching them drifting by. "Is he allowed visitors?"

"No." She answered. "But as his closest friend, I think they could let you in for a moment."

"Ah…" He nodded, didn't care much. His heart still clouded with guilt, putting Chouji's and the rest of his teammates' life at stake because of his weakness. "I'll go visit him later."

She nodded back and continued to stay by his side. She looked up to what he was gazing. "What are you thinking?" She asked softly.

"Nothing."

"You could always tell me anything."

"There's nothing to tell." His tone insisted that he didn't need her there. "Even if there is, it's not important anyway."

"Oh." She bit her lower lip, somewhat hurt. "Okay. I'll leave you then. Just…just remember if…you have something you want to talk, you know where to find me."

She got up but before she started to leave, she took a long last look at him. "I know how you are feeling right now but it's not good to keep it all to yourself. You should let it out. Talk to somebody, talk to me. I know I'm not Chouji. I will never be a good company, a good listener like him, but at least, you have somebody to hear you out. You will feel better that way." She sighed, drifting her gaze off of him to the sky. "I'm not trying to…boss you. Sorry if you feel that way every time I was around. It's just…if there's something you want to talk about to someone, I want that person to be me. Ah…how should I put this? I mean, I'm your teammate and your second closest friend -well, that's what I think… And we've been friends for so long. We shouldn't keep things out of each other, don't you think?" Then her gaze turned a little bit pained. "All these times, you and Chouji never include me in your little chats. It makes me feel…a little bit…left out. So, I hope this time…you have a little place for me."

She turned to go and he closed his eyes, hearing her footsteps heading for the stairs.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. Welcome back. It's good to see you…safe. See you later. Goodbye."

He thought that he will feel at ease once she was gone but he didn't know why, somehow her leaving made his world echoed with the sound of emptiness.

He didn't want her to leave, so he spoke his heart out.

"I was scared."

Her footsteps stopped. He continued closing his eyes, knowing that she will retreat to the empty place beside him and he was right.

He got up into a sitting pose and began talking. Well, it was more like talking to himself because he fixed his gaze forward all the time. Never once he glanced at his side. But she understood, knowing that act was his nature. And he knew she listened.

Being a just appointed chuunin and already given a mission beyond B-class was the hardest task ever, he told her. It was a big responsibility for a twelve-year old to be given a mission like that. More importantly, the lives of four people were put under his care. He admitted to her that he was scared like hell when the pursuing had turned into something different. He had a falling out when everything didn't work according to his plan. All of them had to fight a one on one battle, for heaven's sake!

It was luck that everybody had survived.

"When I saw the butterfly," his gaze was far and distant. "I know that it was over. I know that Chouji…he…" He inhaled his sorrow. "I thought I already lost him. I never felt so scared in my life at that time. I want to rush back to him but thinking that I was still on mission, I had no choice but to keep on going. My feelings at that time…it was indescribable."

She gave a reassuring pat on his shoulder and that one action broke the entire barrier surrounded his heart.

"I was scared… I was really…scare―"

The words died on his lips as his eyes shot widely open, as she did something unexpected to him.

She hugged him.

He was surprised, really surprised. That girl… Never in his life had he imagined to be in her arms, not even once. For him, she was just troubles and being hugged by troubles was the least thing he could ever want to happen to him. But now, now…

"Just let it all out…" He heard her whispered. Her voice was gentle and kind. Her embrace was very comforting. "Let it out…all of it…"

Without him knowing, without him realizing, tears fell from his eyes once again.

"Yeah…" She patted his back. Her eyes were closed while saying that soothing voice. Her mouth was curved into a small smile. "Like that. Don't hold back. Just let it all out…"

Come to think of it, it was very embarrassing to see him crying in her arms. But he didn't pull away and neither did she, so they stay close like that together for such a long time.

Every now and then, every time he recalled that day's event, he couldn't help but blushing madly.

Made him vowed to himself not to cry again, especially in her arms.

But he does.

After spending a few years chasing after her in secret, at last, he decides to put an end to his pathetic self.

Against his better judgment, he confesses his feelings to her – in such a romantic way.

She is certainly, undoubtedly surprised – he witnesses the way her eyes grows bigger and bigger after hearing word after word he utters. Her thin brows arch high and her small mouth forms "o" shape. It seems like her breath has left her lungs, for she stays rigid for a moment that feels like forever.

At last she responds to his confession, asking him in such shaky voice.

"…Wh-why me?"

He evades her questioning gaze. All his calm and composed self has vanished the second she shoots him the look. He could feel the feeling of fearful rejection slowly crawling to his heart.

"Why me? Why I'm the girl?"

Seriously, couldn't she see right through him, the feelings he hides so well? Couldn't she feel how much he craves her all these years?

"Yo-you're not kidding with me, right?"

At the final straw, he gathers his gut back and confronts her eyes, eyes that hesitant, full with uncertainty. The bottomless blue pools are like searching something from his deep brown ones, seeking the truth.

"I'm not kidding." Which earns him a gasp. "I'm serious." With all the remaining bravery left in him, he blurts out nervously, "So, what's your answer? Do you have a little place for me?"

A smile is what he gets for an answer. A small, slowly forms smile.

Three years after that, approximately fifteen years since he first cries in her arms, on that very day, he cries again.

This time, it's not because of the life he almost lost, but the opposite of it.

"Temari's right. You're such a crybaby, Shikamaru." She looks at him with exhausted face but happy.

"Oh, shut up." He prefers she brush his tears away rather than himself, just like what she did back then. But looking at her condition now, this time following his better judgment, he wants her to just rest in bed than get up and get him. "Troublesome woman."

She snickers and he rolls his eyes, feeling the shame but he knows that he doesn't mind crying in front of her.

After all, the reason of his tears now is completely different from before so there's nothing to be ashamed of anyway.

"She looks like you, Ino." He spoke, gazing down.

The opposite of the life he almost lost is a life he just gains: the baby girl in his arms.

A beautiful baby girl with hair like hers and eyes like his – to color their already beautiful little place.

OWARI

Just a little note: The middle part of this story is the past, so I made it in past-tense while the rest is in present-tense. I hope it's right(?) and acceptable (such a sucker for grammars, blah…blah…)

Ara-chan, Shikamaru and Ino (holds a birthday cake together): "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WINGS-CHAN!!!"

Thank you for reading and kudos for reviewing!