Authoress' Note: Ha, as of this moment I declare myself a refined authoress. I do know this action my not be in the interest of my readers, but one day you shall learn to embrace the fact. Instilling the consequ— XP Just joshin'. I basically wanted to brag to everybody (though you may have written more) that my story "What's Love Got To Do With It?" was my twentieth fanfic. Yay, kudos to me!

Notes On The Story: When I first started on fan fiction, Temari was okay to me, but now I hate her. However, since I know many may not agree, I can't bash her, because an author should know how to separate personal affairs from their stories. ;; Okay, now the story may proceed.

Disclaimer: Naruto mustn't belong to me, for I may ruin the entire series.

A Thousand Apologies

Part One: Forbidden Fruit

"Nee, nee, Shika-kun, do you have any fruit in here?" Ino called from the kitchen. Her hand rested on the open refrigerator door, while she pursed her rosy lips in concentration. "Cherries? Raspberries? Blueberries? Sliced oranges maybe?"

"Nah," she heard the reply come unenthusiastically from the den. "If you look deep inside you might find some cantaloupes or watermelon or somethin'. I dunno, I don't eat it anyhow."

Ino screamed, as his words weren't helpful in anyway possibly. "I don't want those fat ugly fruits! I want something that's small and is easily accessible. I will not be in here slicing up those wretched things." She caught sight of the innocent fruits at the back of the refrigerator, and narrowed her eye loathingly at them.

"I don't care…" his voice came with its share of sighing. "This isn't your house so take what you can get and be happy with it, okay Ino? Stop freakin' bothering me… geez…" There was a slight pause before the male spoke again. "What's wrong with them?"

"Well, for one, I can't eat unattractive fruit. And secondly, they're humongous and hard to peel. Not that I've ever tried bu— kya!"

There was a weary groan that resounded throughout the hallways.

Ino reached to the back of the cold machine excitedly, grasping a partially transparent, sealed container. She held it close to her face, just enough for it to be examined thoroughly, and eyed the red fruit voraciously.

The blonde kicked the refrigerator door shut, rushing to the room Shikamaru was currently present in. On her way to plopping down on a leather armchair, she stepped over the male's body, which was sprawled about lazily in the middle of the room.

When she spoke, his eyes languorously drifted up to her, "Nee, you bum, you could've just said you had strawberries so I didn't have to rummage through the whole fridge." She sighed at all the trouble it was. "I had no idea that you even liked them. This just proves that you need to be more open with me."

"No, actually, it doesn't prove a thing." The male closed his eyes, merely wanting to drift into a deep slumber. Perhaps if he graced her with this one pointless conversation, she would grace him with sleep. "I don't like those things; Temari's the one that keeps buying that trash over here, saying that I need to eat healthier. Tch, troublesome."

As Ino inspected the red fruit to make sure that they were still edible, she faltered slightly at the mention of Temari's name. Temari was (and she detested that fact) still and indefinitely his significant other.

For as long as he could remember, she had stayed close with Temari, just to remain close to Shikamaru. Temari didn't seem to mind sometimes, as she considered Ino a close friend. But at other times, Ino recognized the look in her eyes, and it told that she needed privacy. She decided to always ignore that expression.

At the current moment, however, Temari wasn't around, so she could revel (milk) this time that they had alone as much as she pleased.

Ino held the container of fruit closer to her face before shifting her eyes to Shikamaru. "Are you sure you don't like these precious little things? Or… is it because you've never even tried them?" She raised a fine blonde brow as he remained unresponsive for a bit.

"No, I haven't and I don't want to." He squinted at her. "What are you supposed to be doing?"

"Eating," the blonde replied simply, blissfully and innocently 'unconscious' of just how the strawberries entered her mouth. He stared reluctantly as her perfect pink lips became stained a slow, teasing red. She sunk her white teeth leisurely into the early summer fruit, savoring the sweet taste of it.

Shikamaru closed his eye guiltily, just to make sure his eye no longer drank in the woman. For the slightest second, he swore that he was envious of the fruit. "Why can't you just eat the damn thing?" Just for the heck of it, he cracked an eye open curiously.

She smiled slyly and licked her fingers. "Whatever do you mean? Oh, I get it; I'm just a little too tempting, ne? Well, gomen nasai, it really wasn't intentional." And he believed it to a small extent, but once she wrapped her tongue around another fruit, moaning softly, sucking it gently, it was confirmed as a falsehood.

Fed up, he shouted, "Stop it, Ino!"

Ino burst into a fit of uncontrollable giggles. "I am so sorry Shikamaru! There was this lusty look in your eyes that I just couldn't pass up! You rarely ever get… well, excited! Sexually excited!"

He blushed lightly, turning so that he was lying on his side, back to her. When he heard more laughing, he griped in embarrassment. "Shut up already."

And then the room was filled with an eerie silence – extremely uncharacteristic of Yamanaka Ino. When he turned over for the second time, just to make sure she hadn't choked on the fruit; (because of her suddenly becoming hushed) her face was a few inches away from his.

He sighed at her promiscuous tendencies, and how at times it really creeped the hell out of him. "All that time destroying my refrigerator, and you're not even gonna eat the damn things?"

"Nah," She whispered. "I'm finished with them."

"You only ate two."

"But I'm finished nonetheless." There was a long pregnant silence of indulgent stares, (with Ino smiling and blushing with genuine meekness) before a playful and mischievous

plan hatched in her mind. "Nee, Shikamaru-kun," she hissed. "Open you're eyes; don't fall asleep on me."

"I'm not sleeping you stupid girl," he breathed huskily. "My eyes are open. Can't you see?"

Ino ignored the insult of her being a 'stupid girl' – Shikamaru always did have an inclination to be irritable when deprived of sleep. She also considered it as an insult because she was a full-bloomed woman, and being addressed as a girl was more than a bit offensive.

Yes, she decided to turn a blind eye to the matter completely, and continued with what she was doing. She scooted closer to him, absorbing all body heat that emitted from the man adjacent to her. She listened intently as his breath hitched ever so slightly, barely even perceptible, and took gratification in it.

"Gomen nasai Shika-kun, but I still can't see them. Try a little harder for me, at least." Her slender fingers gently brushed his check, caressing his face affectionately.

"What exactly do you want me to do?"

Ino was not fond of betraying Temari's trust, but she couldn't help herself at times like this. He had some unnamable, confounding magic on her, and she couldn't escape it, nor wanted to.

Shikamaru was her passionate, forbidden fruit.

"Nothing." Ino's fingertips trailed down to his neck lazily, yet still so feather soft. As she leaned forward to give into her hidden desire, to sink her teeth deep into her forbidden fruit, he surprised her for once – the male captured her lips with his own.

The fingers that rested on his neck slipped behind his head and entangled themselves within his hair. Shikamaru's hand twitched, wanting to touch her as well, but couldn't go that far. He was still committed, but… cheating was an attractive offer as of now. And suddenly, as if out of completely nowhere, he adored strawberries.

There was a sound of metal jingling, and then a loud slam. The whole adobe seemed to be rattled by it, as Ino could feel the vibrations in the carpet she was lying on. The kiss with Shikamaru was long forgotten, as she instantly sat up in alarm.

The blonde could feel her heart beats grow frantic. "Do you th— "

The male rose from the floor, face remaining devoid of all emotion. "Stay here, okay?"

She was quick to object. What if the person came in from the back, and she was alone? "Th-that might not be such a good idea…!"

"Ino, just don't go anywhere."

Taking an important note in the grimness in his tone, and how intimidating his eyes were, she nodded in obedience. "H-hai!"

He left her alone in the room, going to find the cause of the disruption.

Her curiosity was apparently piqued, as she crawled to the doorway of the bright den. She listened intently on all sounds, determined to pick up on some information. There was muted shuffling, and then the soft sound of something sliding, after which she could here nothing outside of muffled yells.

She knew that angered screeching voice, a voice that could cause so many cringe in trepidation, a voice so distinct could only belong to…

Temari.

Arguing was not a good sign at all to Ino's ears. The blond woman, much to her guilt, could only make out the word 'with her' and 'always around.'

Shikamaru should just be with her, seeing as how she was always around.

The florist knew it was those words that had came from Temari's mouth, but desperately and futilely wished it not so. She wouldn't be able to live with herself, knowing she was the source of there breakup. At the sound of something shattering suddenly, she cringed.

Ino stood straight and hurried to the living room, determined to calm the feud. Hopefully, even if her own heart broke in the process, she could persuade the two to stay together.

To Be Continued…

Authoress' Note: I was thinking of making it a one-shot, but nah. It's a two-shot for sure. And as much as I'd hate to give away the plot, Temari and Shikamaru will not end up together! .