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Author's Note: Hey everyone! Thanks for the feedback, I'm glad you all like it so far. I hope you continue to enjoy the story, chapters will normally be over 4000 words, typically 5000 to 6000.
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PART TWO
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You can close your eyes to the things you do not want to see, but you cannot close your heart to the things you do not want to feel.
-Anonymous
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PART TWO
Temari Sabaku was one terrifying lady. She was incredibly cunning and had a knack for witty comebacks. It might have just been that Shikamaru made himself an easy target for her, but regardless the woman loved to pick on him. The woman never seemed to run out of ammunition, and she seemed to have even more when they were drinking. Normally, Shikamaru wasn't much of a drinker, in fact, he never drank at all. The day had been rather taxing though, and he wanted something to settle his nerves. The liquid burned as it rolled down his throat and into his stomach. It had been his sixth glass of sake, and he was starting to feel the effects.
"So why are you drinking alone?" Temari asked, leaning against the wooden counter. Shikamaru glanced at her and shrugged his shoulders as he poured himself another drink. "You have some admirers," the teal-eyed woman said, nodding towards two young women at the end of the bar sneaking glances at him.
"I could burst their bubble and tell them I'm only seventeen," Shikamaru said with a smirk as he lifted the small cup to his lips. He threw it back easily and slammed the glass back on the counter, shaking his head and hissing a bit from the burn in his throat. "Or maybe I should just burst yours."
Temari snickered as she hopped onto the barstool next to him and ordered herself a drink. "I have no bubble to be burst." The bar tender placed her drink before her and asked Shikamaru if he'd like another. The pineapple head waved him off and reached for his wallet to pay. "Where are you off too?"
"I dunno," Shikamaru said, dropping some money on the counter and pushing it towards the bar tender's side. He looked at Temari, who had turned to face him. The sound of billiard balls crashing into each other echoed in the quiet bar. A smile came onto the blonde's lips as she scooted off her seat and took hold of Shikamaru's hand, tugging him over to one of the free billiard tables. The pineapple head blinked a few times as she started setting-up a game.
"You sink a ball, you can ask any question you want and the other person has to answer," Temari said, placing her drink down on an empty table behind her. She held onto the cue stick and smiled seductively, batting her curly lashes at the shadow user. At first he seemed to dislike the idea, but it would help keep his mind off of things.
"Alright then," Shikamaru agreed with a single nod. "Ladies first." He gestured for her to take a shot.
"Oh I'm sorry," Temari said, handing the cue stick over and started cackling as Shikamaru glared at her.
"Don't get cute, just take the shot," he snipped, stepping aside to let Temari go. The blonde giggled again as she took her position at the table, eyeing the white cue ball carefully as she prepared to strike.
She exhaled when she pushed the stick forward, striking the cue ball. The balls rolled all across the green felt, and Shikamaru saw one of the striped ones fell into a corner pocket. Temari smirked and turned her attention to the lazy genius, who pursed his lips and nodded his head.
"What's your question?" Shikamaru asked.
Temari stood in front of him. He'd grown tall in the past year. He was nearly a head taller than her now. She gripped the cue stick in her hand and leaned against it. Her teal eyes studied him closely. His skin had become tanner since he'd first arrived nearly three months ago, his hair was still the same as it had been when they met during the chuunin exams, and his eyes were the same warm color that always managed to capture her attention. There was something about Shikamaru, something inviting and pleasant. Whenever she was around him, she found herself relaxed and complacent with just being silent in his presences. He didn't need to say anything, and she never got bored.
"Kiss me," Temari said, looking up at him.
Shikamaru furrowed his brows. "That isn't a question."
Temari closed the space between them, their bodies just barely touching one another's. Shikamaru dark eyes watched her closely as she rested the cue stick on the billiard table. He didn't know what to do as she gripped his flak jacket and pulled him a little closer.
"Will you kiss me?" she asked softly.
:::
"Thanks for watching her," Kurenai said with a smile as Shikamaru walked into the woman's apartment. Mirai had fallen asleep with her little arms wrapped around Shikamaru's neck and her cheek pressed on his shoulder. Kurenai smiled and brushed the child's hair from her face. "Why don't you just put her in her crib?" the black haired woman said, waving for Shikamaru to follow her down the hall. They arrived at a door, and Kurenai pushed it opened, gesturing to the crib.
Shikamaru laid the child down and smiled at her for a moment. He pulled away and turned back to Kurenai, who was still standing by the door. He walked out of the room quietly and Kurenai followed behind him. The two of them went to the kitchen, where Kurenai told Shikamaru to take a seat. At first he was going to protest, but he knew Kurenai wouldn't let him just flit away. He walked around the small kitchen island and pulled one of the barstools from under the wood counter. When he took a seat, Kurenai pushed a coffee mug his way and filled it seconds later.
He muttered a thank you and watched the steam rise from the cup. His hands slowly curled around it, and he brought it to his lips. Kurenai leaned on the counter across from him, holding her own coffee cup in her hands. It was five in the evening and the sun was slowly beginning to the lower in the sky. The orange-gold light poured through the white lacy drapes hanging over the window just above the large sink. Shikamaru looked at Kurenai, who put her cup down on the counter and pressed her lips together.
"You seem troubled," she said to him. "And I don't think it's just about Tsunade's offer."
The lazy genius shook his head slowly. "It might very well be the fact that my simplistic ideals as a kid have been lost in oblivion, and I've entered a reality that I am not quite prepared for." He looked at the red-eyed woman, who smiled weakly.
"What happened in Suna?" Kurenai asked.
Shikamaru swallowed hard and ran his finger along the top lip of the coffee mug. "On the northern border of Suna and just east of the Land of Birds, there is a small country that is in the middle of a reform. The feudal lord in that area is in need of an advisor and head of security. During my stay in Suna, we spoke a few times and he offered me the position."
"Quite the opportunity," Kurenai said, and Shikamaru nodded in agreement. "And you want to take the position?" she asked, taking a quick sip of her coffee.
"It's crossed my mind," Shikamaru admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. It was just like he had told Chouji earlier that afternoon. He had so much to think about. He should do what was best for him, but he still had to think about his family, his friends, and his village.
"For how long?" Kurenai asked.
"It would be contract since I am from another village," Shikamaru said and looked at the woman. "Two years." He bit his lip and clicked his tongue. The more he talked about it the more it exhausted him. He just wanted to be home and relax. Thinking about politics and positions that belonged to much more experienced shinobi weren't exactly on his to do list. Thirty days wasn't a long time, but it was just enough for him to recharge. Deep down, Shikamaru was pretty sure he knew exactly what he was going to do. He didn't want to talk about it, he just wanted to let the thirty days past and see if he felt the same way at the end.
All he wanted to do, all he needed to do was be with his friends and family. For the time being that would be best for him instead of losing sleep over the job offers. Truthfully he was flattered and proud that people thought so highly of him, but it was a lot of responsibility. When he thought about to his childhood self, when he just wanted the simple life, he never imagined this. Not once did it ever cross his mind that people would want him to take on positions such as these.
"Go see your friends and family, Shikamaru," Kurenai said with a kind smile. The young shinobi looked at her and nodded in agreement. "Don't worry about the positions, just enjoy yourself for a little while."
"That was the best advice, I've gotten in a long time," Shikamaru said, and Kurenai chuckled softly. "Thank you for the coffee." He stood up from his seat and finished the last of his coffee before carrying his mug to the sink.
"You should take Ino out tonight," Kurenai spoke up suddenly, causing Shikamaru to turn to her with a quizzical look on his face. His brows knitted together and he snickered, thinking that the woman was merely joking. "I'm serious, I think it would be good for both of you." She smiled at him and took another sip from her coffee mug.
Shikamaru blinked a few times, crossed his arms over his chest, and pressed his lower back against the counter. His eyes were fixed on Kurenai, who was smiling innocently. He thought she was up to something, he could tell from that smirk on her face and that gleam in her red eyes. As it were, Shikamaru wouldn't mind taking Ino out for a dinner. He knew this was an important day for her, and she could probably use the pick me up, since it was the first without her father. They had these traditions after all.
"Are you trying to set me up with my teammate, Kurenai-sensei?" Shikamaru asked with a raised brow.
"Not at all," Kurenai smiled.
Shikamaru chuckled and shook his head. "If you need me to watch Mirai for you, you know where to find me." He pushed off of the counters edge and let his arms fall to his side. "Have a good evening, Kurenai-sensei." With that, Shikamaru made his way to the front door of the genjutsu master's apartment and slipped out quietly.
Kurenai walked over to the sliding glass door that lead out onto the balcony. She pushed it open and stepped out into the cool evening air and leaned against the metal railing. Her red eyes saw Shikamaru walk down the road with his hands shoved into his pockets. Bringing her coffee mug up to her lips, Kurenai laughed lightly and shook her head. Shikamaru walked down the road just like Asuma used too. She saw Asuma in Shikamaru quite frequently, they shared the same values. Sometimes when they would talk, she thought it was actually Asuma. He was wiser than he knew, and was stronger than he let on. Kurenai knew that Shikamaru would one day make a woman very happy to be his wife.
"What would you say, Asuma?" Kurenai asked as she sat down at the small two person table she had set-up on the balcony. "If you found out I was trying to get Shikamaru to realize he was in love?" A smiled graced her lips, and she looked up at the golden colored sky.
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It was finally seven. Ino was so relieved that she could finally sit down. The shop had been really busy, she hardly had a chance to eat her lunch. She was happy she was able to help so many people get last minute gifts, but she wished they wouldn't do that. Of course, flowers always looked best when they were fresh cuts. Ino was up front sweeping under the trellis after having pulled the displays back in. She started humming a song as she finished up her sweeping. Her mind had been clouded with many thoughts all day long. Memories of her father, thoughts of Shikamaru coming back early, and how she was sad that she would be spending the evening alone. Sure she could hang out with her mother or maybe the girls, but that's when she realized, they all had someone. Even Sakura and Sasuke were going to spend the night together. Years ago, she might have been bitter about it, but now Ino was happy for Sakura.
"I found myself dreaming in silver and gold like a scene from a movie that every broken hearts knows," Ino sang softly as she reached for the dustpan behind her. "We were walking on moonlight, and you pull me close. Split second and you disappeared and then I was all alone." She was so concentrated on her singing and cleaning that she failed to notice Shikamaru was leaning against the wall, watching her with a small smile on his face. Ino twirled around and swayed a bit to her singing.
She swept all the fallen flower petals and leaves into the dust pan and looked up. Her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed when she saw Shikamaru was watching her. He chuckled softly and pushed off of the wall. His hands were in his pockets, and he slouched slightly as he looked at Ino. She bit her lip and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and shook her head. Shikamaru straightened in his stance, and she realized that he had grown even more since he'd left four months ago. Earlier that morning, she just assumed it was because he was standing on the porch, but he had actually grown.
He was so handsome. She couldn't believe that the lazy pineapple head from her academy days had grown up. Before she was so infatuated with Sasuke because he was the coolest kid and he was just so cute, but that was a childhood crush. It had stuck with her for years, but when the Uchiha had defected from the village she realized that she only shallowly cared about Sasuke. There was no true connection there, perhaps there could have been, but she was kind of glad that there never was.
In all these years, Ino and Shikamaru had grown so close. They had a special bond, it was different from her bond with Chouji. There was something so raw and surreal about Shikamaru's relationship with her. It could have been love, or maybe it was just the oath they had to take. Either way, Ino knew that Shikamaru was different from every other guy she knew. He was amazing, he was always there for her. Through her breakups and hookups, Shikamaru stood by her and supported her. That was something she cherished deep in her heart.
"You really gotta give a girl some warning before you do that," Ino said.
Shikamaru smirked and nodded his head. "Sorry."
"Why are you here?" she asked with a weak smile, laying the broom and dustpan on the wall. "Did you need some flowers?"
"That's not originally why I stopped by, but now that you mention it," Shikamaru admitted with a sheepish laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. He intended to ask Ino if she wanted to go eat, but at the mention of flowers, he remembered his mother. He'd briefly spoke to her when he arrived home, but she was on her way to the academy. Apparently she was substituting for someone, so their conversation was short. "My dad used to always get my mother flowers for Valentine's Day, I should probably get her some."
Ino smiled warmly at him, and waved for him to follow her inside. Sometimes, Ino forgot that it wasn't just Shikamaru and herself who had lost their fathers. His mother and her mother had lost their husbands, the loves of their lives. She couldn't even begin to imagine how hard that must have been. If it crushed those two, it probably sent their mothers into oblivion. Ino remembered that her mother had cried for two months and never came near the flower shop until Ino told her that she had lost one parent and she couldn't lose another. That seemed to snap her mother out of her depression.
"I remember when your dad came in here," Ino said, and Shikamaru looked at her. "He always told me and my dad that it had to be the best because it was for the woman he loved." They arrived at the counter and Ino placed a crystal vase on it.
"Yeah, well he was tied to her apron strings," Shikamaru chuckled, and Ino rolled her eyes as she grabbed some pink sheer ribbon and tied it around the narrow neck of the vase. "How's your mom?" he asked, gaining Ino's attention just after she finished tying a bow.
"She's better," Ino affirmed with a smile. "The shop keeps her busy."
"That's good," Shikamaru replied with a nod, feeling a bit dumb for the small talk. He and Ino could do better than small talk. "No plans for tonight?" He figured he should just dive right in and ask, rather than this pointless beating around the bush stuff. Just because he asked her to dinner on Valentine's Day didn't mean they were dating. That was the big misconception after all, Valentine's Day wasn't just about couples, it was about any and all forms of love.
"Uh, if you call getting in my jammies and stuffing my face full of chocolate while watching lovey-dovey, disgustingly happy, chick flicks a plan, then yes. If not, then no," Ino said with a small embarrassed laugh, and Shikamaru furrowed his brows. He couldn't believe that Ino Yamanaka didn't have anyone to take her out, perhaps it was because it was the first Valentine's Day without her dad. And that's when Shikamaru realized that Ino's father would never be able to intimidate her boyfriends, or walk her down the aisle on her wedding day. "What about you?" she inquired, snapping him from his thoughts.
He clicked his tongue. "Can't say that I do," he replied, leaning against the counter as Ino filled the vase with crystal pebbles and water. "Maybe we should...do something." He looked up and saw Ino's eyes were widened slightly, and he wished he could just walk away like he hadn't said a thing.
"I would...really like that," Ino said with a smile, and Shikamaru sighed inwardly. He had feared that she would either refuse him or criticize him for 'ruining their friendship' or 'making it awkward' or whatever. "Why don't we take these to your mom, and then go eat or something. You can tell me all about Suna." She started pulling some pale pink tulips from a black pot behind her, trimmed their stems and placed them gently in the vase.
"Alright, if you wanna hear about boring politics," Shikamaru agreed with a shrug, sounding surprisingly upbeat about it all. Ino looked at him and laughed. "Or perhaps you can tell me about being inducted into the TI Unit."
"Oh," Ino muttered.
"Slip your mind?" Shikamaru asked with a chuckle. "I'm proud of you, Ino. That's really good news, and your father would be so proud of you too." He reached over the counter and placed his hand on top of Ino's, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
Ino stared at their hands for a moment. She was just about to turn her hand over and lace her fingers with his, but the sound of the back door squeaking open and slamming closed stopped her. Ino cleared her throat and quickly pulled her hand away and turned around to see Sachi walking in with a watering can and shovel in her hands. The tawny haired woman stopped when she saw Ino and Shikamaru staring at her. She smiled kindly and waved, apologizing for just barging in. Ino shook her head and assured her it was fine as she added the finishing touches to the crystal vase and tulips.
Shikamaru remained silent on the other side of the counter, glancing from the flowers to Ino every so often. He wondered if he shouldn't have reached out and touch her hand. She didn't seem to not like him touching her, her facial expressions remained calm, and it wasn't like she had rejected it all together and pulled away quickly. His dark eyes studied Ino's face for a moment, she was still one of the most beautiful woman in Konoha. He may have teased her about caring too much about her looks, but it was only because he believed Ino was gorgeous just the way she was. There was no need for her to wear make-up or do her hair all nice, but she did and he thought it was silly.
"Well everything's watered and I brought the tables in out back," Sachi said as she walked out of the storage room. "Did you need anything else?" she asked politely walking over to Ino and Shikamaru.
"No, you're free to go. Shikamaru will help me lock up. Go see your son, have a nice night," Ino said to the woman, who smiled brightly and nodded once.
"You two have a nice night out on the town," Sachi chimed as she waved and walked away.
Ino blushed and stifled a laugh, while Shikamaru returned the sentiment. "She seems nice," he drawled, turning his attention back to Ino after Sachi was out of the shop.
"She is," Ino agreed with a small nod. "She's always telling me I need to find a guy." The blonde rolled her pretty blue eyes and looked at Shikamaru, who titled his head slightly. Ino suppressed a laugh and waved it off, telling him not to worry about it.
The funny thing about it all, Shikamaru was worried about it. He may not have said it out loud, but he would gladly knock someone into next week if they ever hurt Ino. Sometimes, Shikamaru wasn't even sure if he could handle Ino being romantically involved with someone. That wasn't really his call though, Ino and him were only friends. They couldn't really ever be anything more than best friends.
"There," Ino said cheerily. "All done."
"Looks great, Ino." He smiled and pulled out his wallet to pay for the flowers. "Thank you." She stared at him for a moment and looked away, brushing her hair behind her ear. When she lifted her gaze, Shikamaru could swear she had a small flush on her cheeks. She looked away too quickly, turning her attention to the register to charge him.
"Actually," she said before dialing in the price. "Just pay for my dinner and we'll call it even."
Shikamaru smirked and closed up his wallet. "Deal."
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Temari was pressed against him, and Shikamaru could feel his blood pulsing through his entire body. He could hear the pulsing in his ears, and he licked his lips. His eyes fell onto Temari's face, tracing her lips and then to her teal eyes. She was a beautiful woman, and he'd be a lair to deny he didn't like her. Sure, she was troublesome and bossy, but so was Ino. At the thought of Ino, Shikamaru sighed heavily and broke his stare from Temari. He wasn't sure why, but the thought of Ino kept him from wanting to kiss Temari. Before his teammate came into his mind, he was ready to go for a kiss.
Shikamaru shook his head and lifted his hands to Temari's shoulders and gently pushed her back. She blinked a few times, confused by his actions as he gently touched the side of her face. He swallowed hard and closed his eyes, leaning forward and kissing her forehead. Temari closed her eyes at the softness of his touch, and nearly leaned into him.
"What's wrong?" Temari asked him.
Shikamaru shook his head. "I don't want to do this like this." He gestured to the drinks on the table and continued, "I would prefer to not have any sort of regrets in the morning." His hand fell from her face and he smiled weakly.
"You think you'd regret it?" Temari inquired, biting her lip.
He didn't know.
"What if?" she pressed, and Shikamaru met her gaze. "What if you don't?"
"Then me being sober and doing something like this would be fine," Shikamaru replied, leaning back against the billiard. Temari looked down at her feet and nodded slowly. "I know the punchline to this story and it's not a funny one or a good one." He rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat.
"There's a story?" Temari questioned, leaning on the billiard beside him.
Shikamaru nodded his head as he stared down at the scuffed up wooden floor. He took in a deep breath and slowly let it out, turning to look at her. "It goes something like a guy walks into a bar, gets a little drunk, and sees this beautiful girl," he smiled at Temari, who blushed slightly and he continued, "they get to talking, fall for each other, and end up lovers, who laugh and cry and argue and try to make it work, but then he walks into a bar."
Temari stared at him for a moment and looked away sadly.
Shikamaru pushed away from the billiard and takes the cue stick from Temari's hand. He lays it on the table, and she looks at it with furrowed brows. When she looked back to Shikamaru, he is holding his hand out to her. She gives him a quizzical look, but he only smiles, shaking his hand at her. Temari bites her lip and places her hand in his.
Right on cue a slow song plays from the jukebox, and Temari chuckles softly as he leads her out to the small dance floor across the way. He places her hands on his shoulders, and slowly moves his to her waist. Temari closed her eyes and moved closer, resting her head on his chest as they slowly danced in circles.
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Shikamaru and Ino found themselves sitting on a park bench munching on some dango. They had delivered the flowers to Shikamaru's mother and had a small chat with her before they had left to eat. They didn't want to go to a true restaurant, so Ino opted for a street vendor near the park so they could walk and talk. It had mostly been dull conversations, neither one of them truly venturing an interesting topic about themselves. Shikamaru didn't know if he should tell Ino about the feudal lord and Tsunade's offer. He knew that Ino liked having him around, she'd mentioned it a couple of times. Not directly, but in her Ino way.
She would tell him that when they weren't going on missions together it didn't feel right. If Chouji or himself were missing, she felt like part of herself was missing. At first, Shikamaru thought she was overreacting. He would tell her they were shinobi and had to be able to work with others just as well as they did with others. Her words resonated within him when he was in Suna for four months and couldn't see them. He knew they would be going on missions or doing their own thing, and he felt empty because he didn't have them there. It wasn't like they all need to be together on every mission, but when they didn't talk to each other...it just wasn't natural. They needed each other, even Chouji said he felt that way from time to time.
"So tell me about your mission to Suna," Ino said, glancing up at Shikamaru. They were sitting close to one another, hardly an inch of space between them. She nudged him when he remained silent for a few seconds. Shikamaru looked at her, and she gestured for him to say something.
"I already told you," Shikamaru replied with a shrug. "It was sandy, hot, and boring." He took a bite of dango and chewed quietly.
"There must be more to it than that," Ino said, playing with the end of her braid. "So just tell me." She looked up at him with curious blue eyes, and Shikamaru looked back at her.
"You don't really mean the mission, do you?" he asked.
Ino bit her lip and played with one of the dango skewers. Shikamaru nodded his head slowly, understanding her tacit answer. He slouched in his seat and stared up at the sky that was slowly going dark with a few stars gleaming like jewels.
"What's wrong, Ino?" Shikamaru asked. He had an idea, but he'd much rather her say it. Of course, the Ino thing to do was beat around the bush or ignore it all together. He knew her so well, she would never say what she really thought. She believed it to be a kindness to not be selfish with him or Chouji, but really it wasn't. Chouji and Shikamaru wanted to know exactly how Ino felt, she was their best friend. They relied on each other, on and off the battlefield.
Ino shook her head. "Nothing. Just...I missed you," she said with a smile.
Shikamaru put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in for a hug. Ino didn't fight him, she just leaned on him and turned her face into the crook of his neck. She took in his scent, the smell of freshly cut grass. Next to her father's scent, Shikamaru's scent was one of her other favorites. When he let her go, Shikamaru brushed her hair from her face and stroked her cheek with the back of his head. She closed her eyes to the touch of his calloused fingers and sighed softly.
"I missed you," he told her, and her eyes opened up. "But there's more to it than that and if you say there isn't, then I don't know you, Ino."
"Okay," Ino swallowed and continued, "You didn't say a single thing while you were in Suna. I understand that you may have been preoccupied, but four months and nothing." She shrugged her shoulders not feeling the need to continue.
"A lot was going on, I know it's not an excuse, but," he paused and shook his head, unsure of what to really say, "I'm sorry."
Ino looked at him and shook her head. "I get it."
Shikamaru furrowed his brows. "Ino."
"Just tell me one thing," Ino said and licked her lips. "Are you going to leave?"
Shikamaru stared at Ino. He knew that she didn't know about the feudal lord's offer, meaning she was coming from a different angle. In a way, Shikamaru was a bit surprised that Ino was saying such things. Granted it wasn't like she was directly saying "If you and Temari get together are you going to move to Suna", but Shikamaru knew Ino's language so well. Her mannerisms, her tone of voice, and the way she was fidgeting with the hem of her dress.
"Leave?" he questioned, wondering if he could get her to outright say it.
Ino looked at him and nodded her head. "I'm not stupid," she said, and Shikamaru frowned. "You and Temari...you two make sense." She shrugged her shoulders and bit back her tears and bitter tone. She tried to hide the jealous and anger within that was bubbling to the surface.
"Ino," Shikamaru tried, but the blonde just stood up abruptly and walked into the middle of the path way. He sighed and stood up, walking over to her. He gently put a hand on her shoulder, forcing her to turn around.
"I can't do this again," Ino said, her voice beginning to crack as her eyes welled up with tears. "I lost...my dad...and I'm losing Chouji, and I can't...lose you too." Her body began to tremble, and Shikamaru shook his head and pulled her into his arms. She sobbed softly into his chest, gripping his shirt tightly.
"You aren't going to lose me or Chouji," Shikamaru whispered into her ear. "We're never going to leave you." He kissed the top of her head and rubbed circles into her back, trying his best to comfort her.
She pushed away from him and wiped away her tears. "That's a lie."
"Ino," Shikamaru sighed.
"Four months!" she snapped. "You went to Suna and never said anything for four months!"
Shikamaru felt guilty about that, he truly did. At the same time though, he couldn't take all the blame for that. "Is it some sort of one way street?" he asked, probably a little harsher than he should have. "You could have written me too, Ino."
The blonde took in a sharp breath and looked away, her tears silently falling down her cheeks. "Yeah," she sniffled and turned away. "I guess I could have." With those words Ino walked away, leaving Shikamaru standing in the middle of the road.
"Ino!" he called out, but she just kept walking.
