Serendipity
Chapter Two
A cool breeze drifted through the forest, swaying the treetops in tandem. Insects whispered in the surrounding woods as Shikamaru and Ino walked back to their campsite in silence, neither knowing what to say. Something had just transpired between them whilst they stood together, stark naked in a lake, skin bared to the cold, and bodies craving the warmth that the other offered like a vice. It was as palpable as it was undeniable…they had stepped foot into a dangerous territory where neither had ever tread before. Not with each other, nor anyone else.
Ino stayed close to Shikamaru's side, carefully watching his silhouette. His shoulders were held ridged and tight, so far removed from his usual relaxed stance. She bit her lip, wondering what he was thinking. They had nearly reached the campsite when her foot gave way on a patch of mud, sliding out from underneath her involuntarily. She fell backwards, and with reflexes known only to a shinobi, Shikamaru outstretched his arm, expertly catching her before she hit the floor. For a moment, he held onto her without moving. Surrounded by darkness, she could not see him. She could only feel him, the strong arm wrapped securely behind her back, and the warmth of his hand that had latched onto her hip, holding her in place. His breath lingered against her face, mere inches away from his own, before he slowly set her back down on her feet. She almost reached for him, but he had already turned and walked away, rather hurriedly. And her eyebrows furrowed in a mix of hurt and confusion.
When they reached the forest clearing, the makeshift fire Shikamaru had built was still burning in its pit, giving off an inviting heat. He sat down on the log beside it, holding out his hands to warm his palms against the flames.
Ino remained standing, watching him carefully. She took a deep breath, hoping to dispel the tension in the air. "…You're mad," she finally said.
His eyebrows drew together. "No, I'm not."
"I'm sorry."
He wouldn't look at her. "There's nothing to apologize for."
She twisted her fingers nervously, thinking back to what he said in the lake…the way he reacted when she touched him. "But…what you said…about wanting something you can't have—"
"I told you, it's nothing."
"We have to talk about this! Otherwise things are just going to be awkward between us. And besides, I think I know why you said that…because I'm your friend and friends shouldn't do things like that…So, I'm sorry for crossing the line."
Friend. He suddenly hated that word. "You're wrong."
"How?"
"Because you love Sasuke," he said, stating it as more of a fact than an accusation. Still, he had blurted out the words before he could stop himself, and immediately regretted them.
She gaped at him, bewildered. "Huh? What does Sasuke have to do with this?"
He sighed, scratching at the back of his neck, and feeling that it was too late to stop himself from saying too much. "Ino…I didn't say that I wanted something I couldn't have because you're my friend. I said it because you're in love with someone else."
She crossed her arms over her chest in defiance. "I never said that I was in love with Sasuke. Besides, even if I was…You—you say that as if you like me," she said with a humorless laugh.
He held his forehead in the palm of his hand for a moment before finally looking up, staring at her as if she had just hit the nail on the head.
She watched him closely, realization slowly setting in, like she had sank back into cold water. Her arms dropped to her sides. "…You don't, right? I mean…you just can't."
He stood up then, with a certain look in his eyes that she had never seen before. Slowly, he crossed the dirt floor, closing the space between them. She took a few steps back until he had her up against a tree, both hands placed on the bark behind her head.
He took a deep breath, swallowing hard. "Ino…I've been crazy about you since I was seven years old," he said, as if it were the most obvious, logical thing in the world.
His words hung in the cold night's air; even the creatures of the forest seemed to have gone quiet. Ino searched his eyes for some sort of explanation, half expecting him to laugh, or shrug it off as a joke. But he kept his gaze steadied on her, his expression hard. And it was then that she realized just how close his body was to hers. If she leaned forward, she could easily capture his mouth with her own. She felt a swooping sensation in her stomach, her lips almost turning up into a smile. But still, she shook her head in disbelief, looking down to avoid his eyes."…You're lying," she whispered, speaking more to herself than to him.
He narrowed his eyes, hurt by her disbelief. "You really think so? Why? You think I'm only faking having feelings so that I can take advantage of you or something?"
She looked back up, meeting his eyes and matching his defiance. "I didn't say that! I would never think that of you!"
He dropped his hands and took a step back, frowning. "…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. It's just…Damn…I tried to work up the nerve to tell you how I felt for years, and now you don't even believe me."
She shifted her feet uncomfortably. "You caught me off guard, I guess. I mean, like you said, we've known each other for years…all this time, and you…you never said anything."
Slowly, he nodded. "You're right, I didn't. And maybe I should have. Or maybe I was just hoping you would figure it out on your own since I didn't have the guts." He kept his eyes on the floor, looking defeated. "But I knew that if I told you and you rejected me, things would always be weird between us. I couldn't be selfish and mess up our teamwork just because of my feelings."
She gave him a steady look. "How can you be so sure I would have rejected you?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not Sasuke," he said simply.
"You don't have to be," she challenged.
"…You say that as if you like me."
"What if I do?"
He shook his head. "Ino…Listen…You don't have to try to convince yourself that you like me now just because you know that I like you. Or because we're here, and we're alone, and it's in the moment…because as soon as we get back home and back to normal, you're going to realize it's not what you really want."
She smiled, sadly. "Shikamaru…you are the smartest person I'll ever know, but that doesn't mean you know everything."
"What do you mean?"
"You don't know exactly how I feel…and the truth is, I've been trying to figure out how I feel about you for awhile now," she admitted, the blush rising in her cheeks.
He stared at her, hanging onto her every word, forgetting to breathe. When he didn't say anything, she continued…
"You're right, this is the first time we've been out together alone…and for some reason I was feeling nervous about it. I couldn't understand why. I'm so used it being you, Chouji, and me. The three of us, just friends…You and I were always just friends…or, so I thought…but then, something changed. I don't know what, exactly…I thought it was all in my head. But you don't know how it makes me feel…to know that you felt the same way."
He turned away, running a hand through his hair, trying to process it all. He could feel his heart soaring out of his chest at her words, while his mind was simultaneously screaming at him to not get his hopes up. But then he felt Ino step up behind him, pressing her face into the small of his back.
"I like you…Shikamaru," she whispered.
He smiled before sighing, sadly. "I've always liked you, Ino. That's what scares me."
He tried to move away but she gripped his arm, turning him around to face her. "What are you so afraid of?"
He looked back down at her, brows furrowed in frustration. "Isn't it obvious?"
The flames from the fire reflected in her eyes as she gazed up at him, open and bewildered, asking him for the truth. And in that moment, he lost the will to hold back the secrets he had kept from her for years. He took a step back, rubbing his forehead with his fingertips before he dropped his hand, meeting her eyes once again.
"…When I was a kid, you were the girl in class that I couldn't stop staring at, the one I thought about at night when I couldn't sleep…And I know I tried to hide it, but when we were put on the same team, I felt so fucking relieved. Because it meant that I could spend time with you, and maybe I could even protect you…But what I didn't realize at the time, was that it also meant I would end up falling for you even harder." He paused to take a breath, and when he spoke again, his voice grew softer, more vulnerable than before. "…You're the only thing I've ever wanted like this…so…so what if I have you, and then you change your mind? Having you, only to lose you, would hurt so much worse than never having you at all."
Ino clung to his every word like a lifeline. She had never seen Shikamaru like this, before; so removed from his usual armor and defenses. It made her stomach clench. "…I'm never going to hurt you," she whispered.
He shook his head. "Maybe not intentionally. But you can't help how you feel. If you lost feelings or realized that you just didn't like me anymore—"
She cut him off, reaching up to press her fingers to his lips. "Shh," she whispered, softly. She smiled, shaking her head. "You think too much, you know that? You always have." She took a deep breath and a step back. "I like you, Shikamaru. I'm standing right here, and I'm telling you that I like you. And you can either run away, or you can do something about it."
Time must have stopped. For a moment that felt like an eternity, Shikamaru stood in front of Ino, mere footsteps away. His heart pounded in his ears as he gulped back his nerves, faced with a choice that he never would have expected. But there she was. Waiting for him.
Ino watched him steadily, challenging him to make a move. But when he took a step forward, her bravery began to falter. She could feel her nerves dancing on a thin wire, as Shikamaru wrapped an arm around her waist, the other rising to brush the hair back from her face with his hand. His fingers drifted below her jaw, lifting her chin, and causing the breath to catch in her lungs. He leaned his head forward, eyes sliding closed before capturing her lips in a soft kiss; their very first kiss. With each other, with anyone at all. He marveled at how supple her lips were as they moved against his own, slowly, patiently. He pulled away, the tip of his nose still brushing against hers. Their eyes locked.
The separation didn't last, as Ino sought his mouth once again in a careful, requesting manner, asking for more. He smiled into the kiss as Ino's hands traveled up his chest. She crossed her wrists behind his neck, pulling him against her with a gentle tug. And he pushed her backwards, gently, until he had her up against the tree once more. Their lips moved together, tentative at first, before slowly growing more eager. The pressure increased, and Shikamaru shivered slightly as Ino's nails tickled the nape of his neck. Both lips parted, breath passing between them, and Ino licked at his bottom lip with her tongue. He met her advances, teasingly flicking the tip of his tongue against her own, tasting her. And then their mouths slid closed again, lips brushing gently together once more before parting to take a breath.
Ino rested her head back against the rough bark of the tree, looking up at Shikamaru for his reaction.
He sighed, laughing under his breath, a little nervous. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that."
She smiled, whispering, "Yeah, I do."
He stared at her for a quiet moment. "You don't have to decide anything tonight…just…sleep on it, alright? And when you're ready, tell me how you feel."
She nodded her head. "I get it, you know? I understand how you could be apprehensive about this, since everything happened so suddenly…but I want you to trust me, okay?"
He held her gaze, and nodded back. "I do."
Before they went to sleep, Shikamaru added another log to the dying fire and pulled the cot from his rucksack, spreading it out on the dirt floor. Thoughts were swarming his head in such rapid succession that he was convinced he would never be able to sleep, again. Did that really happen, he kept asking himself, over and over again. It didn't feel real, but it was. He had confessed, she knew, he kissed her. And it was real. And he had never felt so happy, and still so anxious, in his entire life.
He heard movement behind him, pulling him from his reverie, and turned to see Ino, crouched down on the floor, hands folded in her lap. "Is it okay if I sleep next to you?" she asked.
He smirked, lifting up his blanket as an invitation. She pushed her cot up against his and tossed her blanket over them both, warmed by the feel of Shikamaru's body, lying beside her under the layers of cloth. They didn't talk; just breathed, with small smiles still playing on their lips.
And before they drifted off to sleep, Ino reached for Shikamaru's hand, entwining their fingers.
Ino woke up late the next morning to a slight ache in her lower back. The floor was definitely not her favorite place to sleep. Her eyes peered open, looking up at the morning sky, cluttered with clouds of gray. Shikamaru sat beside her, his legs crossed, with a map stretched out over his lap. She sat up, yawning widely.
"Morning," he said.
"What ya looking at?" she asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"Well, from the looks of it, we'll probably make it back to Konoha by tomorrow morning."
She wrinkled her nose. "We're out of food."
"I know," Shikamaru said, glancing up the sky. "Looks like it's gonna rain soon, too."
"Fantastic," Ino muttered sarcastically.
"It's no big deal," he said, pointing to the map. "If we follow this path right here, we'll end up in a small traveler's village. We can get some food there, and maybe crash for the night at one of the taverns."
Ino grimaced, digging her knuckles into her back. "Well, I definitely won't miss sleeping on the floor."
Shikamaru chuckled, folding up the map. "Oh come on, Ino. You've got to embrace the great outdoors."
She rolled her eyes. "If people were supposed to be outside, they wouldn't have invented a house."
He shrugged. "Can't argue with that." He stood up, reaching out his hand to pull her to her feet.
They packed up their belongings, hauling their rucksacks over their shoulders. Before they left the forest clearing, Ino gave Shikamaru an inquisitive look. "Are you sure you know where we're going?"
He scoffed. "Of course I do."
Four hours later, they were crossing through an open field, the tall grass scratching at their shins. Ino folded her arms over her chest, staring at the back of Shikamaru's head.
"We're lost, aren't we?" she said.
"No," he replied, a little too quickly.
"If you got us lost, Shikamaru, I'm gonna kill you."
He glanced over his shoulder at her. "Alright, but after you kill me, will you at least let my mom know? She hates it when I'm late for dinner."
She grabbed his arm, spinning him around to face her. "So we are lost?!"
"No, we are not lost. We just, momentarily, don't know where we are."
"That's the definition of lost you idiot!"
He sighed. "Calm down, just let me think." He stood still for a moment, then looked upward at the sky, contemplating. As if it would give him an answer.
Ino watched him with her hands on her hips, somehow finding humor in this situation. Sure, they were lost, but strangely enough, it wasn't so bad. And she wondered if that was because she was lost with Shikamaru. "The clouds aren't going to tell us where to go, Shika," she teased.
He shook his head. "No, but that will." He raised his hand, pointing to the sky.
Ino looked up, following the direction of his point to a large hawk, flying lazily over the field. And they lowered their heads to grin at one another. She dropped her rucksack as Shikamaru moved to stand behind her, ready to catch her fall. She held out her arms, preparing to use her mind-body switch technique.
"Aim carefully," Shikamaru instructed from over her shoulder.
"I know."
"And fly in a circle three times so that I know it worked, okay?"
"Got it."
A moment later, her body went limp, collapsing back into Shikamaru's arms. He looked up, relieved to see the hawk fly in a circular motion, once, twice, and then a third time. He grinned. "That's my girl," he whispered under his breath. The hawk took flight into the distance, and Shikamaru stood waiting with Ino's head resting back against his shoulder, his arms wrapped securely around her waist, holding her body in place. It was no big deal, really. They had done this so many times, it almost became second nature. But he always took affectionate pride in the fact that he was the one responsible for protecting Ino's body whenever she used her jutsu. They never even had to talk about it...they just knew.
Roughly ten minutes passed before she was back in her body, again. Her eyes opened wide and she took a deep breath. "The village is up ahead, over this hill, and then right through the path of that forest," she said with a point. And then she blushed, realizing she hadn't moved from Shikamaru's arms…Realizing she didn't want to move from Shikamaru's arms.
He let her go and she took a step forward, bending down to pick up her rucksack. When she turned around to look back at him, he was watching her with a smirk.
"What?" she asked.
He stretched his arms up, folding them casually behind his head as he walked passed her. "Told ya we weren't lost."
She rolled her eyes, and they continued walking.
It took another hour before they reached their destination, sitting comfortably on the outskirts of the forest range. The village was small but lively, serving as a rest area for passing travelers. The busy streets were inundated with vendors, selling painted souvenirs, weapons forged by hand, and pounds of savory foods and spices. Shikamaru and Ino made their way through the crowd, pausing occasionally at certain tables and shops, and brushing off the vendors who were eager to make a bargain. Some of the male vendors took particular interest in Ino, watching her hungrily as she passed, one of them even calling out to her. She averted her eyes, feeling uncomfortable, until she felt Shikamaru reach for her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze as he laced their fingers.
Finally, they stopped at the local inn, the ground floor of which served as a tavern. A bell chimed when Shikamaru pulled the door open, holding it for Ino. An appetizing scent filled the air, wafting from the kitchen in the back. A plump, middle-aged woman greeted them with a warm smile, and led them to a round table by the fireplace. She brought them cups of hot tea and scribbled their orders on a notepad before bustling away.
Ino glanced curiously around the dimly lit room. "This place looks kind of...familiar."
"Probably because we've been here before," Shikamaru told her.
"We have?"
He nodded. "A long time ago. With Chouji, and Asuma."
She smiled sadly at the mention of their late sensei. "I miss those days…Asuma smoking. Chouji eating. You complaining. And me…"
"Bossing us around?" he offered with a smirk.
She shrugged. "Somebody had to do it."
The waitress brought their steaming orders out on a platter, leaving them to eat in a comfortable silence. Outside, rain began to fall, sending the street vendors back into their shops. The tavern slowly began to fill with more people, eager to escape the storm. And Ino yawned, tired from the long day of walking.
"Ready to go?" Shikamaru asked.
She nodded, reaching into her rucksack for her wallet, but when she looked up, Shikamaru had already paid the tab for them both. She smiled. "…Thank you."
"Don't mention it," he said.
After checking in at the front desk, they climbed the staircase to the third floor, and followed the narrow hallway to room 317. Shikamaru stuck the key in the lock, wiggled it a couple of times, but the handle wouldn't budge. He took it out and tried again. Still, it didn't work.
Ino leaned up against the wall, watching him with a quirked eyebrow. "You sure this is the right room?"
"Of course I'm sure, it says right here on the door—317!"
"Well then how come the key won't work?"
"Because life likes to fuck with me," he said, giving the door handle another violent shake.
Ino laughed, scooting him out of the way. "Jeez, let me do it."
He sighed. "Troublesome."
She twisted the key, and after a gentle flick of her wrist, the lock gave way and the door opened. She turned around, flashing Shikamaru a cocky grin.
He scratched at the back of his neck. "Yeah, well…I loosened it for you."
"Oh, shut up."
The room was small, but cozy, with two beds separated by a nightstand, topped with a lamp. An armchair sat in the corner, and a television was perched on top of the wardrobe. Shikamaru fell back on the bed closest to the door, allowing Ino to take the first shower.
She stepped into the bathroom with a sigh, elated to be back in the vicinity of running water and plumping. The hot water loosened her stiff muscles, fogging the mirror with a thin layer of steam. Afterwards, she brushed her teeth and slipped on a pair of cotton underwear and a long t-shirt that reached the middle of her thighs. She passed Shikamaru on her way out of the bathroom, and took the bed closest to the window. She climbed under the sheets, eyes growing heavy as she watched the rain continue to fall. Thunder could be heard in the distance, and occasional bolts of lightening lit up the night sky.
Minutes passed, and Shikamaru stepped out of the bathroom, wearing nothing but a pair of long sweatpants. His hair fell across his shoulders, sending drops of water down his bare chest and arms. Ino lay with her head against the pillow, watching as he crossed the room to turn the television on, keeping the volume low. He switched off the lamp.
"You need anything?" he asked.
She shook her head. "No, I'm fine."
He climbed into the opposite bed, pulling the sheets up to his waist. He yawned. "'Night."
"Goodnight," she whispered, eyes dropping closed.
It was passed midnight. The television was still on, glowing softly in the dark, unaware that it was no longer being watched. The volume remained a blur of white noise in the too-quiet hotel room, while Ino lay awake in bed. She had only slept for a few restless hours, feeling rather detached from this unfamiliar place. Turning onto her side, she glanced at Shikamaru for comfort. He slept on his back, one arm behind his head, the other draped across his stomach, breathing steadily. She watched him for a while, contemplating.
The cool air bit at her skin as she slipped out of the sheets and slowly crossed the small gap between their beds. The mattress dipped slightly as she sat down beside him. She reached out a hesitant hand, drifting the back of her fingers down his cheek. His eyelids twitched at her touch, but he didn't wake. She smiled down at him warmly, wondering how strangely cute he looked when he slept, as the usual bored scowl was lifted from his face. Slowly, she knelt down, bringing her lips to Shikamaru's with a gentle touch. She planted soft kisses against his mouth, increasing the pressure until she felt him respond, moving his lips against her own. He raised his hand, cupping the back of her neck to draw her head down further, kissing her firmly.
After a moment she pulled away, staring down at him, her expression open, and searching. As if she had a thousand things to say, to question, but couldn't quite find the words. Shikamaru pulled her onto the bed then, moving over so that she could lie down beside him. The electricity between them rose to an all time high; the room disappeared. He propped himself up on an elbow, leaning over her, tucking a lock of blonde hair behind her ear with his hand. There was a look of uncertainty in his eyes, mixed with that same raw emotion she had witnessed the night before, when they were standing by the fireside.
Finally he spoke, his voice a whisper that only she could hear. "Tell me what you want, Ino…Do you want to be with me? Because if I think for one second that you're mine, I'll have a hard time convincing myself otherwise."
She smiled."…I think you already know I'm yours."
And that was all he needed to capture her lips once again, both smiling into the kiss as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in close. The tension they had been feeling all throughout the day finally broke; the pull between them was finally satisfied, and all they knew was each other; their words, their bodies, their lips…
It was Shikamaru's tongue that licked at the seam of Ino's mouth, seeking entrance. Her fingers tangled in his hair then, pulling him back a bit to smirk, and when their mouths came together again, Ino's was open to him, teasing and coaxing him further inside, tasting each other, warm and wet. It was doing strange things to their heart rates. Strange, uncontrollable things.
The kiss deepened, altering from slow and testing to heated and impassioned. Ino's fingers tugged at Shikamaru's hair, raising goosebumps along the nape of his neck. He felt her body move beneath his, her breasts pressing into his chest, bare under her shirt. The blood pumped hot in his veins, stimulating his senses. He knew that they were moving a little too fast, but god, it felt so good to touch her like this; to kiss her, and feel her kiss back. Still, he willed himself to pull away, leaving them both a little breathless and dazed, still entwined in each other's arms. But Ino gave him no time to calm down. With a feral look in her eyes like a cat, she pushed him backwards onto the pillows, climbing on top of him and seeking his lips once more. Well, maybe just a little bit longer, he thought, reveling in the feel of Ino's soft body against his own.
Ino's skin, once chilled by the cold room's air, was now becoming hot to the touch. Their mouths came together again and again, hungry for more. Her mind was telling her to slow down, but her body had never felt like this, before. She could sense Shikamaru's heart, beating wildly inside of his chest, and she knew he felt the same way. Her legs straddled his waist, and she could feel him beneath her, hard inside of his sweatpants. She shifted her hips, brushing against the stiffened bulge, and he broke the kiss, breath hitching sharply at the sensation.
He swallowed hard, trying to calm down, but it was difficult to think when she had reduced him to little else but mindless want. His body was practically begging for that feeling again, just one more time. He drifted his hands down her back, cupping beneath her buttocks and pulling her forward once more to grind against him, hard and slow, creating the most delicious friction, and he knew she felt it, too…she whimpered in his ear, and the sound alone was enough to send a shiver down his spine.
She nuzzled her face into his neck, kissing him there before slowly pulling away. They stared at each for a moment, both breathing hard. And then an understanding passed between them without a word: it was time to call it quits before they ended up going even further. Ino grinned slyly and climbed off his lap, lying comfortably beside him. He willed his heart beat to settle down, and then stood up from the bed.
She looked up at him curiously. "Where are you going?"
"Uh…" he said, staring awkwardly at the wall. He hung his head with a sigh. "I need a shower. A cold one."
She giggled, catching onto his implication almost instantly.
Tucking a pillow under her head, Ino found that she couldn't stop smiling. There was no denying it…she was falling more and more for Shikamaru, hard and fast. A week ago, this would have seemed unimaginable, but somehow, it just felt so right. As if it were supposed to happen all along. And she wondered, regrettably so, how she didn't realize it sooner…
The shower turned off, and minutes later he was climbing back into bed, lying down beside her under the sheets. She suppressed another giggle. "Feel better?"
"Quiet, you. It's your fault," he whispered, voice slightly muffled by the pillow.
"No, it's not."
"Is too."
"Go to sleep, idiot," she said with a grin, rolling onto her side.
His arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her back against his chest. That warm, fluttering feeling rose up from her stomach as he nuzzled his face into her neck, kissing the little hollow behind her ear. "'Night, Ino."
"Goodnight, Shika."
To be continued…
Notes: Just want to say thank you so much to everyone who reviewed!
I love having Ino call Shikamaru 'idiot' in this ironically playful way; I think it's cute, since he's a genius and all, so you'll probably see that happen a lot. But just a warning: things are going to get pretty graphic as far as sexual content goes (not necessarily in chapter 3, but eventually) so if anyone is uncomfortable with that, you may want to back out now. (I love smut, I just can't help myself :x…) Until next time! xo