AN: Well, just because you are my lovie-dovie lovelies and left nice comments for me, I decided to update quickly this time. Winter break starts this weekend, so hopefully I'll be able to write tons during that time. I'm excited for my story. Now, I'm just as awaiting as all of you for the next twist or turn, because, like I said, I don't even know how this is going to play out; only some of the key points and ending. Have fun reading my quick update, dearies! Lots O' Lovin',

~Kara

Chapter Two

Shikamaru's POV

Ino was in a terrible mood. Ever since our meeting with Lady Tsunade, she had been kicking at the ground and shouting at anyone near her who was walking down the street. Chouji left us not long after we left the Fifth's office, claiming he was meeting Naruto at Ichiraku's for ramen. I really questioned his excuse however when his actual words came out, "Er, Shikamaru, I think I have to be somewhere." He had looked down and pointed at his wrist as if there was a watch there. "I, er, um, I, uh, hafta, er, meet ramen at Naruto's for Ichiraku, so I'll, uh, get out Ino's path of destruction." He quickly fled after that, leaving me to deal with a fuming Ino.

We walked along the main street, Ino muttering something about "killing her and her family." I wasn't too comfortable with her comment, but decided not to say anything lest she change her subject of target over to me. Her cerulean eyes blazed with anger and intensity, her movements stiff as she stomped across the dirt road. It wasn't too difficult for me to keep pace with her, and even if I did lose sight of the menacing young woman, I was pretty sure she wouldn't be hard to spot amongst a crowd. An extremely angry kunoichi in a suggestive, purple outfit with long, platinum blonde hair would be easy to pick out in the middle of a grouping of terrified civilians hugging the edges of the buildings to keep out of her path.

"Come on, Shikamaru!" she finally spoke, her first words that weren't mumbled threats. "I don't care if the bitch from the Sand is coming in a few days; I'm still going to be super hot for the outing tomorrow." She gnashed her teeth together. "She will not ruin my fun, awesome time with my friends!"

She quickly grabbed my hand, pulling me along despite the fact that I was desperately trying to wriggle free from her hold while at the same time dragging my feet through the dirt, if only to slow her down. She was a woman on a mission at the moment, and I was pretty sure that even a nuclear war wouldn't be able to stop her in this state of mind.

"Ah, Ino?" My voice was slightly hoarse and even more concerned as she continued to march through the streets, turning her head from side to side to try and find a suitable boutique to shop in. "Are you sure you want to go shopping right now? We could go get something to eat, or go see Sakura or something…" I was grasping at straws here. If shopping with Ino normally was a drag, then I was pretty sure tagging along now in her current mood would ensure my death by the end of the day.

"Did you not just hear me, Nara?" she growled. Her stormy gaze locked onto me for a moment. "I will not let that bad news keep me from being happy." She finally dropped my wrist. I tenderly massaged my sore appendage with the fingers of my other hand. "Temari won't get to me like she usually does." I looked up at her this time as she spoke. Her voice was considerably quieter and calmer. Her eyes were now focused on something in the dirt. Her cheeks were flushed with anger and frustration.

"Ino…"

She looked up at me all of the sudden, her anger seeming to have dissipated. Giving me a nervous smile, she rubbed the back of her head and let out an awkward laugh.

"You don't need to come with me, Shika, I was only angry at the news. I shouldn't have taken it out on everyone else." She continued to smile strangely at me before looking down again and walking off, her shoulders slightly slumped and her arms resting tenderly over her chest.

I watched her walk away for a minute, something about her entrancing me, not letting me take my eyes off of her retreating figure. And then I was sparked back into motion. I couldn't just let her go off on her own to sulk and feel miserable about herself. She was my friend.

"Ino!" I called as I ran forward to catch up with her.

The blonde-haired, blue-eyed Leaf kunoichi turned around, her eyes and nose slightly red. She looked confused as I reached the spot where she stood. As I neared, I could tell that she was on the verge of tears.

I really didn't want her start crying, for that would be such a pain to deal with. So I ended up saying something really stupid in the end.

"Er, Ino, if you want, I can still go with you. I mean, if that would make you happy." My sentence became muddled as my voice lowered and I mumbled off the rest of my words.

"Shikamaru, I said you didn't need to," she stated quietly, playing with the ends of her hair. Something about her meek stance made my stomach knot. She looked up at me threw her long, thick lashes, uncertainty plain in her sky-colored eyes.

"I know." I took a deep breath, knowing I would regret my next statement later on. "I—I want to. Go with you. Shopping." Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why did I say that?

A voice inside my head decided to voice an opinion. Because it's Ino and you want her to be happy.

I wanted to tell that voice to go to hell and mind its own business, but then I thought better of trying to communicate telepathically with myself.

Suddenly, Ino looked up at me straight on, no hiding her gaze through long, luscious lashes or anything. A large, radiant smile captured all of her features, and her face seemed to light up like the sun breaking across the horizon. I lost my breath at that moment, similar to what had happened when we were walking back from the training grounds earlier. I wasn't able to explain the odd fluttering in my chest or the rush of adrenaline coursing through my veins.

"Really?" She sounded as if my request were too good to be true. Actually, compared to my regular lazy behavior, it was. But for some odd reason that I would never be able to fathom, I wanted to see that beautiful smile animate her features all the time. "Oh thank you, Shika! I'm so happy!" She threw her arms around my neck and planted a kiss on my cheek. I seemed to freeze in time for a moment, my skin buzzing with electricity where her lips had touched.

The world had stopped for that second when we were connected together by that kiss, but in reality, it was only a second afterward that the moment was over and we were walking alongside each other, her arm looped through mine. I still couldn't understand how her temperament had changed so drastically in that short amount of time. I wasn't exactly unhappy about that, however, seeing as how she no longer wanted to kill anybody. I sighed heavily as we started to walk down the road again, Ino skipping joyously beside me while she continued to clutch my arm.

I knew women were sensitive, I mean, I had to live with my mother, after all. But Ino seemed to change emotions at the drop of a hat. One minute she was stomping around all angry, the next she was all guilty and embarrassed, then she was weepy and upset, and even after that she was happy and glowing like sunlight. And there was no in-between with her. Her emotions were always extreme, on opposite sides of the spectrum. I had to admit, though, she was always passionate, never doing anything half-assed like I usually did. She always found some sort of motivation to continue on with a mission or a goal or a dream. I admired her for being able to commit to something one-hundred percent.

And with these thoughts stirring in my head, I found myself staring favorably at the woman pulling my arm as she babbled away about something ordinary and trivial that was happening in her life, something that while it might be unimportant to someone else, still seemed to be the center of her focus at that point in time. She smiled that brilliant smile at me, laughing at something she thought funny or pleasant. How had I not noticed how stunning she was when her features were so animated and alive? How blue her eyes were, more deep than the sky? How she seemed to have transformed into a beautiful woman right in front of me and I had not even noticed?

"Shikamaru? Is there something on my face?"

Her voice shook me from my unruly thoughts and I focused my attention on her. She was looking at me with worry and quite a bit of curiosity as well. Damn, I'd been staring openly at her, probably with some disgustingly dopey look on my face. This was silly, she'd think I was some sort of sick pervert with whatever kind of stupid smile I'd been displaying.

"Ah, n-no, Ino. I was j-just, uh, listening to you," I answered. Shit. Why was I stuttering?

Way to go, Shikamaru, I chastised myself, turning into a babbling fool in front of her. She probably thinks she's going to be hanging out with a nutcase tomorrow on the date.

"Really?" she responded with a devilish grin. We stopped walking for a moment. "Then what was I saying?"

Double shit. What was I supposed to say to that? I was going to have to pull some kind of ingenious remark out of my ass to cover for this arbitrary lapse in judgment.

"I don't know," I finally replied, an air of arrogance in my voice. "Probably something mundane and troublesome. If only I had the patience for those kinds of time-consuming ramblings."

As soon as the words escaped, I wished I could take them back. Ino looked at me with such confusion, but that emotion quickly dissolved into rage and anger. She pushed away my arm and stalked off in front of me.

Now you've done it, you idiot. She's pissed off again right after you got her to calm down and be happy.

Well, I couldn't very well go after her and tell her the truth, that I was suddenly seeing her as "my really hot female friend" instead of just "my annoyingly, troublesome teammate." Yes, I was sure that would go over well. But I did need to say something. What I had told her was a complete lie. Well, sort of. I really had no idea what she was talking about because I was lost in my own head.

"Ino!" I ran toward her, trying to keep up with her quick pace. "Listen, I'm sorry, okay? That was a stupid thing to say. I was just… I was just…" I was at a loss. I didn't know how to explain this away.

"Well?" she yelled. "What are you 'just,' huh Shikamaru? I thought you were coming with me because you wanted to, not because you felt obligated." Angry tears formed in her eyes. Had I really caused that much damage with that simple little explanation? Man, was I in big trouble.

"I'm sorry," I apologized again quietly.

"I don't think 'sorry' is gonna cut it, this time." Her voice was a rumble in the back of her throat. "I don't know why we have to fight and be at each other's throats all the time, but I really just can't deal with it today, okay?"

"Ino…"

"Shikamaru, I think we should stay away from each other for the rest of the day. I just can't handle you right now." There was pain in her voice, and although she seemed to be pushing me away, there was a different message being given through those endless blue eyes.

For some reason, I seemed to snap and anger overtook me, dragging me into the depths of rage along with my blonde companion.

"Damn it, Ino!" I shouted. "Why do you do that? I was being nice to you earlier because I knew you were upset about the visitors from Sunagakure, but you always push me away. I know I don't always say the right thing, but do you know how difficult you are to deal with sometimes?"

"Excuse me?" She looked absolutely bewildered at my comment. "I seem to remember that I was fine after I apologized to you about that. And you had to go and ruin our time together by belittling me yet again!" Tears were opening streaking down her face now as we fought in the middle of the village. I winced at the sight of the salty droplets of moisture clinging to her lashes, knowing that I was the cause. Why did she affect me this way? "Why can't we just be civil to each other rather than always trying to find a reason to be horrible?"

Her question struck me silent for a minute, as I wasn't quite sure how to respond. Why did we always feel the need to be combative toward each other? Several people whispered as they looked at us with concern, probably hoping we wouldn't cause a nuisance for them. And hoping that I wasn't abusing Ino.

"Because that's how it's always been," I finally answered. My anger had dissipated as quickly as it had come. "We always fight and argue. That's what we do."

"Yeah, but I don't want to fight with you anymore, Shika," she replied, softly, her anger finally waning as mine had done. "I…I care about you too much." Her face was flushed, but from embarrassment and not anger. Tears still clung to her face, her nose and eyes red and watery. "Can we be nice to each other, now?"

"Ino…" I sighed, stepping up to her and wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"Shikamaru, please?" she insisted.

I nodded. "Of course." How could I have answered any other way?

She smiled again, not the same earth-shattering beam as before, but a soft, content little smile that made me feel like all was forgiven. Only why did I still feel like a complete douchebag?

We walked again, keeping a small distance between us this time. I tried to keep my thoughts under control so as not to have any more altercations emerge from my stupidity and lack of focus. I didn't know exactly what Ino was trying to look for, but as we rounded a corner, her eyes brightened and she ran over to a window display. The boutique was called Midnight Masquerade and seemed to be a shop filled with formal wear, shoes, jewelry, and all kinds of accessories. I wanted to gag merely standing in front of the building. But Ino seemed to think differently as she drank in the sight of merchandise, hopping from foot to foot in excitement.

"Let's go in here, Shikamaru!" she squealed, forgetting our silent "no touching" agreement by grabbing my hand and pulling me in behind her.

Vast displays of evening wear including gowns, suits, gloves, hats, and other fancy non-necessities seemed to be overflowing from every nook and cranny in the clothing section while a glass counter filled with sparkling diamonds and gleaming metals took over the right side of the boutique. An area near the back held all of the shoes and matching purses. An overpowering scent of perfume and mothballs engulfed my senses causing my eyes to water. I thought I was going to be sick.

"Holy crap!" Ino exclaimed. "It's awesome! Let's go look at pretty stuff!" She took my hand again and dragged me into a suffocating aisle of back to back ball gowns.

"Ino," I managed to choke out between perfume-induced coughs. "This is ridiculous. You're going to the movies on with Sakura and her date." I coughed again. "Do you really want to look like you're going to a royal function?"

She seemed to think serious about my question for a minute while I tried my damnedest not to sigh heavily and roll my eyes. What a drag this was turning out to be. I couldn't really remember why I had agreed to come with her again and the cloud of perfume I continuously inhaled was definitely not helping.

"I guess not," she finally sighed. "But maybe something simple and pretty…" She trailed off as she maneuvered over toward the shorter, less poofy, cocktail-style dresses.

We stayed for a while as she sorted through dresses, trying to find a suitable one for her. She tried on many of them, but wouldn't let me see because she wanted it to "be a surprise." So I had to sit in a chair in the corner of a shop, counting the number of dots on each of the ceiling tiles. Finally, after what I assumed had been several hours, Ino emerged from the maze of dresses, a silvery garment with crystalline embellishments hanging from her arm. She seemed really happy about her find, but at the same time, when her gaze drifted over to me, I could sense a bit of smugness playing on her face.

She was about to walk over to me when she was sidetracked by the display of jewelry only a few feet away. Something seemed to have caught her attention. Her eyes widened and she practically pressed her face against the glass.

Overcome with curiosity, I stood up, stretched a bit, and walked lazily over to where she stood bent over and staring enraptured at a piece of jewelry.

"What is it?" I asked, resting my back against the low glass counter.

"That one," she answered breathlessly, her index finger pointing to something just inside the display. "The necklace with the roses."

I stooped down and looked to where she was indicating. As I searched for the specific piece she was looking at, I caught sight of a sparkling, jeweled necklace. And I knew immediately this was what she had seen. It was a light, shimmering rhinestone-covered necklace with small, swooping incrustations of a rose vine, the brilliant flowers blooming sporadically among the leaves in elegant, twisting patterns. Even I could see why she liked the necklace. In my mind, I could easily picture the dazzling piece of jewelry encircling her neck as she walked into a room full of elegantly dressed people. She would be the center of attention, all eyes watching her as she appeared in an over-the-top black ball gown, her hair falling down her back in a cascade of shimmering ringlets… Ino's voice startled me back to reality.

"Oh my God, is it really that expensive?" Her face visibly fell. "And it would've looked so nice with my dress." She stood up.

I looked at the necklace once more, taking in the price of the beautiful piece of jewelry. It was a little bit pricey, but not overly so. If Ino wanted to get a brand new, exorbitant dress, however, I could see how also buying a costly necklace would be a problem. I stared at the tiny rhinestone roses, deep in thought. Finally, I stood up and face a crestfallen Ino.

"Why don't you look for a nice pair of shoes to match your dress? We'll split the cost of whatever heels you decide to buy."

Ino looked at me incredulously for a moment, her eyebrows scrunching together. As she tried to read my expression, however, a smile turned up lips upward and her eyes brightened.

"Are you sure?" she asked cautiously, as if I were about to pull the rug from under her feet.

"Yeah, go ahead. I'll meet you at the register."

She hugged me tightly before prancing off to the back of the store where the numerous pairs of shoes were kept, leaving me with a fluttering in my stomach and the dull roaring of blood rushing in my ears.

By the time Ino returned, I was standing at the check-out counter, patiently waiting for her to come so we could purchase her things and get the heck out of the place. I swore I could feel my estrogen levels rising just from being around so many girly products and scents. Luckily, the shoes she chose we well within my price range, so I wasn't too hurt for cash after the exchange I'd had with the manager while Ino was sifting through high heels.

We exited the boutique and I breathed a big breath of clean, fresh, perfume-free air, a happily humming Ino right beside me.

"Thank you so much, Shika!" she squeaked in contentment.

"Don't mention it," I replied. "I was an ass to you earlier."

She waved her hand at my comment as if brushing the words away. "That's okay. In the end, everything turned out okay, anyway." She continued to smile. And it was my smile, a beam of light in the growing evening.

I looked up suddenly at the setting sun. I hadn't even realized that dusk was approaching already.

As I walked in step with the blonde kunoichi, however, I didn't mind one bit that I had spent the whole day shopping and arguing with her. She looped her arm through mine for the third time that day, carrying her shopping bag in her other hand. We walked toward her house where I would drop her off and then continue on to my on home where my mother and father would probably be waiting with dinner and a lecture about staying out all day without telling them. I didn't care, though. I continued down the old village road, Ino on my arm, as we were bathed in the pink glow of sunset. I stuck my other hand in my pocket, running my fingers over the velvety material covering the flat, rectangular jewelry box. A smile slowly crept up my lips as I thought about what would commence tomorrow evening.

And for once, I couldn't wait.

AN: So, I wanted to update this weekend because I just felt like it, and I think this chapter turned out pretty well. I thought it was a sweet prelude to the date the next night. I think I shall switch each chapter's POV between Ino and Shikamaru. I will put the image of the necklace up on my profile soon. And Ino's dress, too, when we see what it really looks like. Such exciting things are to come and we haven't even reached the serious and depressing stuffs yet! *screams* We are in for a roller coaster, peoples! Anyway, I am done ranting. Please tell me what you think; I love to hear from my readers and fellow writers!

~Kara