Pulling down his shirt, Shikamaru squirmed on the examination table, impatient to leave on his mission. On the other side of the room, a pink-haired medic scribbled on a clipboard. She flipped a few of the sheets over, scanning the information quickly.

"Alright," Sakura began, "you're cleared for your mission. Your wound's healed extremely well. No discomfort?" She raised a brow as she looked toward him.

He shook his head. Caressing his side, he smoothed his fingers over the wound Ino had healed three months ago.

"Good. You're free to go."

He jumped form the table quickly, reaching for the rest of his things. He turned to Sakura one more time before leaving, and was surprised to see the apprehensive look on her face.

"Something wrong?" he asked, hand on the doorframe.

"Oh, no," she answered hastily. "No, I was just…I just wanted to ask you something." She paused a moment, hesitant. "Have you…have you seen Ino since…?" her voice trailed off.

Shikamaru started. He hadn't told anyone about seeing his former teammate, even after the curious stares at his half-healed wound.

"No," he said simply. "Sorry."

"Oh, okay. I just figured you might've run into her on one of your missions. I don't leave the village much anymore, what with working at the hospital and all, so I haven't had time to look for her."

The Nara gave her a hard stare. "You shouldn't go after her."

The medic hung her head. "I know," she said softly. "I was just so surprised to hear what happened. I didn't expect her to not be here when I returned. You know I didn't even say goodbye when I left? I was so angry with her…anyway, you can go now. Sorry for keeping you."

Silently, Shikamaru left the room.

A short trip to his apartment for supplies and Shikamaru was stepping out of Konoha. He sauntered easily through the overarching gateway, suddenly itching to run through the trees at breakneck speed. After meeting Ino, Konoha's idyllic atmosphere did nothing to rid his mind of troubling thoughts concerning the blonde.

He stopped suddenly, turning his gaze to the side of the road where bunches of wildflowers grew. Walking over, he plucked a single flower, noting the specks of sky blue dotting the droopy, yellow petals.

"Troublesome," he muttered before slipping it into his pack.

Shikamaru slowed his breathing and masked his chakra as he spied through the trees. From his perch on a high branch, he could clearly see the river that flowed through the forest. There, bathing unabashedly in the clear waters, was Ino. Blonde hair—slightly longer than it had been months before—fell slickly down her wet back as she emerged from the waters after a dunk.

A slight blush crept onto Shikamaru's cheeks. He wasn't peeping, really, he had just sensed her chakra, the familiarity of it subconsciously drawing him closer, until he spotted her in the water. He was on his way back to Konoha from his message delivery mission to Mist when he felt her. He followed the pull of her chakra, and she just happened to be bathing.

Ino turned, and now he could see her naked body in full, his blush deepening. She emerged from the water, gracefully as he remembered her to be, and moved to the middle of the clearing, heading for her gear. Shikamaru stared at her bare form, taking in the soft curves of her body and watching water droplets slide down between her breasts. His traitorous eyes roved over her body, unable to tear himself away, when he was pushed from his perch by an unknown assailant, falling to the ground.

He landed with a loud thud on his stomach, the air knocked out of his lungs. He cursed himself for being so caught up with looking at Ino that he hadn't notice anyone behind him. His groaned as his attacker pressed harder on his back, realizing it was an animal when it growled dangerously.

"Shall I kill him for you, Kasei?" came a deep voice at his back.

Ino laughed, much to his chagrin. "No," she said regretfully. "I would like to speak to this one."

The animal on his back snorted in annoyance. "Fine." The weight was lifted from Shikamaru's back, and he breathed in hungrily.

He turned to see a large, spotted snow leopard staring at him, cold eyes boring into his own. The leopard rose from its low crouch and circled around Shikamaru, observing him the entire way.

"Shinsetsu," Ino spoke. The leopard flicked her eyes over to Ino for a brief moment, quickly returning his gaze to the shadow-nin. "He's not an enemy. You may leave now."

"As you say, little one," the spotted cat spoke, turning and disappearing into the forest, but not without sending a deep glare Shikamaru's way.

Regaining his breath, the Nara stared at Ino, now thankfully clothed, the baggy, monotone garments hiding her feminine figure. Her ears were glaringly bare.

"Enjoy the show?" She lifted a brow, a cocky smile on her face.

"Hn," he answered, turning his head to hide his returning blush. Ino stepped towards where he was sitting on the ground, and sat before him.

"I thought you never wanted to see me again?" he spoke.

She merely smiled. "I didn't, but things don't always work out the way we want them to, eh?"

He said nothing.

"Did you really think I didn't know you were in the trees, peeping at me? Who'd have thought the genius Nara Shikamaru was a closet pervert."

He glowered at her. "You were drawing me to you chakra. Don't blame me if you were bathing out in the open."

Ino gave another smirk, and lied back to stare at the sky, hands folded beneath her head.

"Who was that?" he questioned.

"Who, Shinsetsu?" Ino furrowed her brows. "She's a snow leopard from the mountains of the Land of Snow. I saved her from poachers who would've killed her for her fur."

"And you can summon her?"

"What? No, I don't know how to summon. She just jumps out to protect me when I need her to. Half the time I'm not even aware she's there. Says she'll follow me until her debt is paid."

Shikamaru was silent, contemplating what he had just learned.

"You're on a mission, right?" Ino spoke. "What kind?"

"You know I can't tell you."

"Please," she scoffed. "Like it even matters. I told you I'm not a missing-nin, I'm not out for Konoha's destruction."

"No, you're just an exiled-nin who doesn't care either way what happens."

"Right," she said with a smile. "Why should I owe loyalty to a village that threw me away so quickly? After all I've done for it?"

The shadow-nin narrowed his eyes. "You know what you did was unforgiveable, Ino."

"Pfft, as if you know what really happened. That mission report was a load of bull."

"Then tell me what happened," he demanded.

Ino sat up, cold, blue eyes narrowed at him. "You know what? You don't deserve to know." She stood and moved to the fire, gathering material to prepare a meal.

"I don't deserve to know?!" Shikamaru seethed. He followed after her, yanking her arm to force her to look at him. "I leave for one year, and when I come back, Chouji's dead and you're exiled! I have a right to know what happened to my teammates!"

"The teammates you abandoned?" she spat, eyes raging with fury.

"It was one measly year! Could you not hold out for that long? Must I always come and clean up your mess?"

She pushed him away from her roughly. "Oh, yes, of course. I'm the troublemaker, and you're the genius who has to make everything right. It's bad enough that everyone gave me flak for being born a girl, breaking precious Ino-Shika-Chou tradition, but I always held my own. I never needed your help."

He bristled. "You know our fathers were only joking about you being a girl. It wasn't serious."

She turned away, burying the deep-seated anger. "Maybe you are right. I'm just the girl who can't do anything on my own without my teammates. Maybe if you hadn't left for Suna, Chouji would still be alive."

He felt as if she'd slapped him. "Suna? Is that what this is all about? Me leaving for Suna?"

"What do you think? You went off to chase that annoying Sand pest and left us behind."

"Temari's not a pest," he growled.

"Oh, of course not, my apologies," she spoke bitterly. "You actually enjoy her advances."

"That's not why I became the ambassador to Suna and you know it." He gripped her arms tightly, keeping her locked in his gaze.

"Do I? How was I supposed to feel?" Her eyes were beginning to shine with tears. "I pour out my heart to you, I tell you I love you and everything, and the next day you leave for Suna? I may not be a genius, Shikamaru, but I'm no fool."

She broke away from him, wiping the few tears that spilled, and stared into the fire. "I think it's time you left."

The Nara was suddenly remorseful. Ino stood before him, hugging herself, the girl he remembered when he left for Suna, not the tough, exiled-nin she had become. There was a time when she wouldn't spurn an embrace from him, but it had long passed, and he squashed the desire to hold her.

"Ino," he began.

"Kasei," she insisted. "Born of fire and flames. Ino is gone."

Staring at her, the once-warm blue eyes now cold, he could believe it.

Ino was gone.

She slipped away into the forest, merging easily into the shadows. Frustrated, Shikamaru tore his pack off his back and hurled it into the nearest tree, and watched as it broke open, spilling out a few scrolls and other supplies. To his surprise, the flower he had plucked before he left slipped out as well, its pale, yellow petals bruised from the trip in his backpack.

He stood motionless, gazing listlessly at the flower. Ino would be back at some point, having left her things in the half-made campsite, and he wanted to be gone when she returned. He reached for his fallen gear and began packing them away again. Sighing, he stretched a hand to the flower and stood as his fingers closed over the broken stem.

It was a common flower, found all over Konoha and surrounding areas. But it was undeniably beautiful, each flower unique in its spread of glossy, sky-blue specks spotting the petals. Shikamaru tenderly stroked the delicate blossom.

He shouldered his pack, and walked into the forest toward Konoha, but not before placing the flower atop Ino's things gently.

It was several minutes before he realized he was being followed. He was distracted again, he knew, otherwise his stalker wouldn't have come so close. Keeping his steady pace, he feigned ignorance and continued on his path, waiting to see what his pursuer would do.

He didn't have to wait long. He was halfway to another branch, when he was tackled in the air. He was unprepared, his attacker having been very swift, and landed on his back this time, the breath knocked out of him again.

Leaning over him, teeth bared and growling ferociously, was the snow leopard from earlier.

Shinseto, Shintesu? Shikamaru thought, trying to remember her name.

The leopard gave a roar, and he half-expected to have his head ripped off. Thankfully, the leopard backed off, speaking begrudgingly, "I won't kill you, although I wish to."

Shikamaru sat up and inched away from the prowling leopard, muscles ripping underneath her spotted fur as she stalked the shadow-nin in a circle. He was tense, his eyes flickering around for some means of escape. As if sensing his thoughts, the leopard jumped in front of him and flashed her dangerous eyes.

"The little one has asked me to spare you," she pronounced, "and I would like to know why."

He scrunched his brows in thought. Just as he was about to answer, the leopard cut him off.

"You are the first of her attackers I haven't killed. Who are you?"

"I didn't attack her," Shikamaru growled.

"Only because I stopped you in time."

"No!" he practically yelled, and the leopard paused in her movements, muscled tensed and poised to pounce on him. "I would never hurt her," he spoke softer.

"Ah," said the leopard, straightening from her stance and circling him once again. "You are from her before."

Shikamaru blinked in confusion.

"She doesn't speak of her before very often, and I have never seen you though I have been with her for the past four years. You must be very dear to her if she asked me to spare you." She came very close to him, thrusting her face into his personal space. She was…sniffing him? "What is your name?" she asked.

"Sh-shikamaru," he spoke tentatively as her muzzle came very close to his face.

"Shikamaru," she replied, backing away. "My name is Shinsetsu."

Ah, he thought. That's what it was.

She leapt away, landing on a high tree branch with uncanny grace, and set her face toward the setting sun, in the direction of Konoha. She was sniffing again. "You are a ways from home."

"Yes," he said, standing now that she wasn't a threat anymore.

"Tell me," she began as she jumped down from her perch, "is she from your village?"

"Was," he answered simply.

"Yes, she did imply she cannot go back. That is unfortunate. She seems to have lingering loyalty to a place she deems unworthy of her thoughts." Shinsetsu strolled behind Shikamaru, toward Ino's camp. "Still, it matters not. I will follow her wherever until my debt is paid."

"Is that why you haven't returned to the Land of Snow?"

The spotted cat threw deeply black eyes at Shikamaru, blinking slowly. "She saved my life, Shikamaru. When I was abandoned, alone in the wilderness with my captors far from home, there was no one who cared for me. I was left to die by my family, and I would have had it not been for her. When I was a stranger, she risked her life to free me, without want of reparation or payment. Though she has not asked for it, I will protect her until I have repaid my debt."

Shikamaru nodded in understanding. Maybe this leopard was part of the reason Ino was still alive. "Thank you," he said, "for keeping her safe while I could not."

Shinsetsu raised her head in acknowledgment, then bounded through the trees back to Ino. Shikamaru, watching her until she became indistinguishable in the distance, turned his gaze toward Konoha, and began walking home. That night, as he neared the gates of his home, when Chouji asked if he had seen Into lately, he replied simply, "Yes."

Author Note: I would really, really love to know your thoughts so far. How am I doing for my first Naruto fanfic? Please review!