AN: Hey there, folks! This is my first attempt at a fanfic. It's an idea I've been thinking about for a while, but never really felt motivated to actually type out. As luck would have it, I ended up having to write a story for my English 101 class (hi, Mr. Rich!), so I wrote out this one. I had my writer friend ACDCxCarmine (shameless plug for his story) look over it, and he thought it was a good plot, so I figured I'd upload it in chapters.

This story will eventually be ShikaIno, but not for a long time. For now, it's one-sided ShikaIno, some SaiIno, one-sided SasuSaku, and one-sided NaruSaku (going for an unrequited love theme here). Hope you enjoy!

EDIT: All the wrong names *should* be gone now, thank you to those of you who let me know. ^_^;

[CHAPTER 1]

There she stands. Her. The object of my deepest desires: Ino. Her mother named her after the human form of the Greek goddess Leucothea, "The White Goddess;" this Ino was a queen in her own right. Ino the Queen was a Maenad, and tried to have her two stepchildren killed, as Maenads are wont to do. Both were rescued by a flying golden ram sent by their cloud nymph mother, Nephele, but one fell off the magic ram and died, anyway. The other one got to marry a princess. My Ino doesn't like kids much, but I'd like to believe she wouldn't go so far as to try to kill one. Ino the Queen later got chased into the sea with her son by her own husband, who was struck by insanity – who would have guessed? – and became a goddess of the sea, Leucothea.

I once made a joke that my Ino should never have kids; the black eye she gave me lasted for weeks.

My Ino's not crazy, but she's definitely a goddess: soft, creamy skin that covers long, lithe limbs and an hourglass, 5'7" figure. Her hair is naturally blonde, so light that it's nearly white, and it hangs down to her mid-back, even though she keeps it in a high ponytail. I once looked for her hair color in a retail store – pure diamond blonde. It goes well with her electric blue eyes. When she's mad, I swear I can see sparks fly from them; when she's happy, they light up my world.

I shouldn't talk like this. We've known each other practically our whole lives; our parents were best friends all through elementary, middle, and high school. They were also friends with my best friend, Chouji's parents. All three couples decided to move on the same street: Ino's and mine side-by-side, Chouji's across the street and down the way a bit. Ino's and my parents used to joke that we'd get married one day, and that Chouji would be best man. The last time her mom mentioned it, Ino laughed in her face.

"Me? Marry Shika? Please, he's like my kid brother!"

"But I'm older than you," I protest.

"By like one day. I'm totally more mature than you. That's why you get to be the kid brother. You should be happy to have such a beautiful, amazing young woman as your older sister."

"You're 16. That hardly qualifies as being a woman."

"SHUT UP, SHIKAMARU!"

"Yes, your Highness."

"UGH!" Ino storms out of the room.

She hasn't talked to me since then. That was four months ago; four long months of her giving me the silent treatment, four months of her avoiding me at all costs, four months of only catching the occasional glimpse of her pale ponytail wisping around a corner or feeling her charged stare from across the lunch room (though, when I turn around, she's never looking). I wish I had the strength to tell her I'm sorry; that when I call her "your Highness," I really mean she's the queen of my world; that her voice, which coming from any other girl would sound like the world's most annoying Valley Girl, coming from her resonates through the very chambers of my heart. I've loved her since we were 6, and yet I've never told her. Dating your parents' best friends' daughter? It would be too troublesome.

And suddenly, there she is, right in front of my face, brushing her slender fingers through platinum locks and leaning against my locker. Her hair is down today; I prefer the ponytail. She's talking to Chouji about some party or another that she and her strawberry-blonde rival/bestie, Sakura, are going to.

"You should come too, Shikamaru."

I blink owlishly, drawn from my thoughts of blonde goddesses and their slightly annoying, less attractive friends. "What?"

"Honestly, Shika, this is why I'm the 'big' sister. Are you coming to the party or not?"

I briefly weigh the pros of hanging out with Ino again against the huge con of socializing with other humans. "Hmm… Nah. Too troublesome."

"You say that about everything!" she chides. "Chouji, don't let him be a stick in the mud tonight. Bring him to the party!"

"I can try, but you know Shika. He doesn't do 'movement,'" Chouji jokes, pulling a bag of chips out of his locker. Chouji's a big man: 6'2" and built like a football player, with shaggy, nut-brown hair that rivals even Ino's impressive lengthiness. Despite his size, he's a big pacifist, always looking to diffuse the situation with a joke or a wise intonation.

"Hey," I object. "I move plenty. I'm here, aren't I?"

"Only because your mom would have chewed you out otherwise."

"She's such a drag. Last night—"

"Enough!" Ino snaps, turning the heads of some of the other students passing by. A few of the guys' stares linger a little too long for my comfort, and I move to block her from their view. "Look, guys, I just wanted to invite you—"

"Ino, you really should think about wearing longer skirts," I cut in. "This school is full of vultures. A girl like you shouldn't show herself off so much."

"O-ho, my skirt is too short, is it?" Ino twirls around in her mid-calf, navy blue uniform skirt and white blouse, giggling. "Perfect. Maybe Sai will notice me."

As if on cue, Sai turns the corner down the hall. A Chinese transfer student and upperclassman that happens to excel at art and yet manages to have the barest of personalities, Sai has had legions of girls throwing themselves at his feet. Most of them immediately turn away after he gives them one of his special "nicknames" – he calls Sakura "Ugly," for example, and is beaten by her daily for it – but Ino is convinced that he's using his weird behavior as a cover for his deep, vulnerable side that only she can bring out. I told her the only thing he's hiding is his sexual preference, and not very well.

I got a cracked rib for that one.

"Sa~ai!" Ino coos, fluttering her eyelashes so hard that I can almost – almost – feel a breeze kicking up. "Are you coming to the party at Sakura's tonight?"

"Ugly is having a party?" Sai queries pleasantly, a painted smile appearing on his too-pale face. "Well, I'll be there if you're there… Beautiful."

Ino blushes at the newfound nickname while Chouji and I try our best to keep our lunches down. Sai is just one of those people that rub you the wrong way. His skin is too pale, even for his nationality. It's like he's been living his entire life in a cave and decided to come out to experience life as a junior high school student. He always has a fake smile on, like a used car salesman trying to sell you a car with no engine. He dresses like a monochromatic extra for the Village People: all half-shirts and skintight pants. How he gets it past the uniform code at our school, I don't know.

I tune out the rest of their conversation; something about the party. I really don't want to go, but if "Sa~ai" is going, then I'll have to go to protect her.

After all, that's what little brothers do.

[OMAKE]

Strange: So that's the first chapter, folks! Hope you enjoyed it!

Shika: Why Ino? She's so… troublesome.

Strange: Because [SPOILERS ABOUT FUTURE CHAPTERS], duh.

Shika: Ohhh… When do we get to that?

Strange: Soon, my child… Soon…

Shika: *Backs away slowly*