I have finally updated. I hope you enjoy part 3.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, Masashi Kishimoto does.
AN: Shikamaru and Ino are 17 and the war has ended.
Part 3
The war has been over for a few months now and for one thing, Shikamaru was glad it was over. Of course, it didn't end without a lot of casualties. To name a few, there was their friend, Neji, who died protecting Hinata and Naruto. There was Ino's father Inoichi and his own father, Shikaku. For him, personally, he wasn't able to cope with the fact that his father was dead for weeks. He couldn't grieve on that day because he was in the middle of battle. After the war, it made his emotional pain unbearable, almost to the point where he felt hopeless. But there was someone else who's pain was even greater; his girlfriend, Ino. On the first night back home, she would replay her father's parting words in her dreams, which make her relive that moment over and over. Shikamaru would hear her stifled sobs from the guest room of his house since he requested she'd stay with them. It hurt him to break the news of his father to his mother, who succumbed to her and Shikaku's room crying her heart out until she fell asleep.
With Ino though, knowing that Inoichi was the only family she had left and crying from her nightmares, it nearly broke his heart. So every night, for the past few weeks, he would let her sleep with him in his room. When she would cry in his chest, soaking his shirt with her tears, he would silently let out his own grief. They both had lost so much in the war but they slowly had peace of mind knowing their fathers have done a lot in their last moments. Slowly, Ino and Shikamaru had stopped having nightmares; Ino lived with Shikamaru and his mother because they both insisted. In the span of these past months, Shikamaru had seen Ino recover to her old self and for that, he was happy. She helped him in his own grief and he helped her.
On this day, we find Shikamaru on the grass of his favorite hill, looking up at the clouds like he usually does. The seventeen year old just stared up at the sky, reflecting these past eight months after the war. The Alliance had won with the efforts of Naruto and Sasuke mostly. Personally, he still didn't like Sasuke nor could he bring himself to forgive him like Naruto could. For the efforts of the war, Lady Tsunade promoted the Rookie 9 and the remaining members of Team Guy to Jounin. Of course, Sasuke still had to stand trial for his actions as a criminal and missing-nin.
"I still don't think he should have been promoted," Shikamaru thought solemnly. "Oh well, Naruto was probably happy for him as he was promoted to Jounin as well, and was named as Lady Tsunade's successor for Hokage," he added.
Then he thought of an important thing that had been on his mind or rather an important person, Ino, the most important person to him. After the battle had finished, they both had declared that they have been in a relationship for two and half years to the rest of the Rookie 9 and Team Guy. As they thought, their teammates except Sakura and Choji were shocked, though surprisingly, Naruto figured it out months ago. They asked him how he knew, but he always answered, "It's my secret," to annoy them. Shikamaru had been thinking over their relationship a lot and he couldn't be happier.
He smiled and looked towards the sky, "Old man, I think I understand why you married Mom now. You probably saw all the good qualities that she has despite her aggressive nature. Ino is like that, she can be bossy, loud and at times, a bit moody, but she is also kind, caring, cheerful, beautiful, and I can trust her with my life. Of course, I don't want her to risk her life but she would anyway." His smile widened as he remembered what she did as his soul was trapped with Choji, Kiba, Akamaru, and Neji.
Flashback
Ino was still rotating her chakra with her boyfriend and Choji. She was starting to get exhausted, but she wouldn't give up, concentrating her chakra flow to keep them alive as long as she could. She was using too much of her chakra and she was reaching her limit until she felt someone grip her hand.
She gasped as she heard Shikamaru say, "That's enough Ino, we're alright now." Then Choji added, "Ino, are you okay?"
Ino stopped rotating their chakra only to have tears of relief stream down her face as she embraced them, surprising both of them as she sobs. Then Shikamaru just smirked at how she risked her own life to save theirs.
End Flashback
He admitted to himself long ago that he was in love with Ino, so on this day he was planning something special. This day was their third anniversary of when they had their first kiss and first date. He got up from the ground, brushed off any grass and thought while smirking, "Well, I better start on my little surprise." He started in the direction of his house, hands in his pockets with his right hand gripping an item protectively.
Meanwhile in the newly rebuilt Yamanaka Flowers, we find Ino slumping behind the counter with a bored look on her face. She left Shikamaru's house a bit early this morning hoping to see her boyfriend before he left for the day, but she missed him. Both of them had been busy because Shikamaru was named Head Strategist and Jounin Commander just like his father. While she was working part time in the flower shop, and she was head of the Intelligence division taking over her father's role as well. At the same time, she would help out at the hospital too. She shouldn't feel bored but she is because there was an overflow of customers all morning but then it suddenly slowed down. She was waiting for her shift to end so she could decide what to wear for their anniversary. Shikamaru's mother gave her a note from Shikamaru about meeting him later tonight. She smiled happily as she brought the note out of her pouch and read it again. It went like this:
Ino,
I'm sorry I couldn't see you this morning but you know how busy I've been, it's so troublesome. By the way, Happy Anniversary, I didn't forget. I could never forget; it's a special day for me too. Anyway, later tonight meet me at the village gates at 7:00, I have a surprise for you. See you tonight, I love you.
Shikamaru
Ino blushed and hugged the note happily. "Somehow, only he could make me happy just through a note," Ino thought. Then she thought out loud, "I wonder what kind of surprise he planned for me."
She looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it was almost 3, so she untied her apron, put it away and decided to close up. She made her way outside when she spotted Sakura and Hinata, then she called out to them, "Sakura, Hinata, come over here."
They heard her and came over as she made sure the store was locked up. Sakura asked, "Hey Ino, how is it going?" Hinata added, "You seem very happy today, Ino-san." Ino then proceeded to tell them about Shikamaru's surprise for their anniversary and how she wanted them to accompany her to pick out an outfit. So they all went into a little clothing shop and Sakura and Hinata watched as Ino picked out various dresses and outfits to try on. Nearly two hours had past when she had tried on outfit after outfit. Sakura kept a conversation with Ino and Hinata, asking how they kept up with their missions and their love lives. Hinata had been dating Naruto for eight months after he spontaneously kissed her after the war. Sakura and Ino still tease her about how red her face was at the time. As for Sakura, she finally convinced Sasuke to at least date her four months ago and they are still dating. Though the villagers are still wary of Sasuke, he's noticeably more sociable or he tries to be anyway.
After twenty-four dresses, Ino sighed in frustration, "I'll never find the right outfit."
"Don't worry Ino, you'll find one," Sakura tried to reassure her friend she knew it wasn't working.
Then, Hinata spoke up, "I think I have an idea, Ino-san." Ino looked at her confused then asked, "What idea, Hinata?"
But Hinata didn't answer, Ino watched as she looked through the dresses on a rack until she pulled one out and she showed it to her asking, "What about this one?"
The dress Hinata was holding was a royal purple color, strapless and looked to be about knee length. It was simple design with purple flowers embroidered in the skirt. Ino looked it over and replied, "I don't know, it seems so simple." But then added when she saw Hinata look discouraged, "But that doesn't mean that I don't think it doesn't look nice, Hinata. I can try it on if you want me to."
Hinata then smiled and replied, "I think it would look nice on you."
Ino took the dress from her and went to try it on. When she came out, Ino looked in the mirror and gasped happily. The dress hugged her curves nicely and the skirt flared out to reach her knees. She turned around, went up to Hinata and gave her a big hug saying, "Thank you Hinata, its perfect."
"I'm happy I could help, Ino-san," Hinata said as she returned the hug.
Ino then changed out of the dress, paid for it, thanked Sakura and Hinata and rushed out to Shikamaru's house since she lived with them to get ready. She didn't find him there because his mother said he only stopped by for a little bit but then took off again. So then she took a bath to freshen up, dried her hair, and brushed it but didn't do any more than that. She decided to wear her hair down and clipped her bang out of her face. She added light purple eye shadow, some mascara and a light blush. She put on the dress and picked out different sandals she had. The final touch she made was putting on a purple choker with a purple flower pendant around her neck. It was her favorite necklace because Shikamaru got it for her 16th birthday. She saw the clock in her room and saw it was 6:30, so she was about to head out until she remembered something. She opened a drawer in her dresser and pulled out a small wrapped box, saying aloud, "I hope he likes this." Then she went out saying bye to Yoshino and went to go to the village gate.
At the gate, Shikamaru was waiting for Ino, he was wearing his usual gray shirt and black pants. He had prepared for the surprise ahead of time so he waited for her. Usually, he was the one late for any date they had. He knew Ino got used to it, but he wanted to actually be early this time. He was mentally preparing himself until he heard someone call out, "Shikamaru." He knew that voice anywhere so he smiled and turned around to look at his girlfriend but he was stunned when he saw her.
"She looks beautiful," Shikamaru thought in his head. He was snapped out of his trance with her waving her hand in front of his face.
"Shikamaru, what is it? You looked dazed, are you alright?" Ino asked curiously.
Shikamaru smiled, came closer to her and planted a kiss on her forehead before whispering in her ear, "I was just admiring how gorgeous you look in that dress and with your hair down." He took a strand of her hair, kissed it and added, "You should wear your hair like this more often." Ino instantly blushed, there was just something with how he said it and how he kissed her hair, that it sent pleasant shivers down her spine.
"Thank you Shikamaru, you look nice too." Ino complimented him.
"You are only saying that because this is how I always dress," Shikamaru replied lazily.
Ino replied, "Yes, I know that, but I think you still look as handsome as ever, Shika." Ino winked at him as he blushed with embarrassment.
"Anyway, you're here early Shika, were you here long?" Ino asked.
"Only about ten minutes, I wanted to be early to take you to the surprise. Could you put this blindfold on, please?" Shikamaru asked while holding a black blindfold.
Ino looked at him, questions buzzing in her head, but she took the blindfold. While she put it on she said, "Okay, just don't let me trip or anything."
But then Shikamaru said, "I won't let you trip, because you're not walking."
With that, he swept Ino up in his arms holding her bridal style while Ino yelped in surprise. Ino wrapped her arms around his neck to hang on while he took off sprinting and jumping to wherever he was taking her. After a few minutes, he stopped, brought her down to stand and said, "Okay, you can take the blindfold off."
She took it off from her eyes and she saw what it was and where they were. They were in the clearing where they trained for the Chūnin exams and where they had their first kiss. Then she saw that there were lanterns hanging in a tree at the clearing and underneath it, was a picnic blanket with a basket on it. She was in awe at how much time he put into it and instantly smiled at him.
She gave him a tight hug and kissed his cheek saying, "This is so sweet of you, I love this surprise."
"I'm glad, but I'm not done just yet," Shikamaru explained as he led her to the picnic blanket. He pulled her down to sit with him and he pulled out two bento boxes filled with Ino's favorite foods. He handed one of them to her as she said, "My favorite foods, you really outdone yourself, Shika." She tried it and she happily exclaimed, "It's delicious, did Yoshino make this?"
"Well, actually…" Shikamaru trailed off with a small blush on his cheeks. Suddenly, she figured it out, "You made this didn't you?"
Nodding, he explained, "Yeah, Mom only helped me while you were out. I wanted to make it myself for you, I just wasn't sure if it was good or not."
Happily she exclaimed, "It's delicious Shika, you are a very good cook."
Embarrassed, Shikamaru said, "Well, Mom taught me how to cook when I was a kid but I guess it was useful despite how troublesome it was to learn."
Ino smiled at him amd gave him another kiss on the cheek and said, "Thank you Shika, I love this."
Shikamaru smiled and replied, "Your welcome, Ino."
So they continued eating and they talked about their jobs or about recent missions they've been on. After they finished their food he also made Ino's favorite pudding and they ate that. They were having fun as they talked and they didn't notice that it was getting dark with only the lanterns as their light source along with the moon. They sat against the tree with Ino leaning against Shikamaru as they were stargazing; a favorite activity for Ino.
Then Ino spoke up, "Shikamaru, I really loved this and it was so sweet of you to do this for me." She sat up to look at him and added, "Also, I have something for you too."
She put a hand in the bag that she brought with her and pulled out the wrapped gift she brought and handed it to him.
Shikamaru looked at it and asked, "You got this for me?"
Nodding, she urged him to take it. He took it from her hand and unwrapped the gift. He looked in the box and was momentarily stunned; he pulled out a medium-sized book out of the box. On the front it said, "Memories" and he opened it to the first page and he smiled. He saw that it was a picture of when they were babies at the hospital. He flipped through the pages as he noticed the pictures progressed as they grew up, when they were on Team 10, their birthday parties and some of their dates up until the present. It even had a picture of Asuma-sensei on one page and there was a page dedicated to both of their fathers with their pictures in it. He also noticed that each page was decorated intricately and carefully.
He looked up at her and asked in awe, "Ino, you made this for me?"
She nodded, "It took me two weeks to finish it in time and it wasn't easy finding all of those pictures. I thought it would be a nice thing to look back on. We've had a lot of good memories and a lot of bad ones too, but we still pulled through together. I hope that you don't think it too sentimental of me and I hope you…" Shikamaru cut her off by hugging her tightly.
"Ino, I love it and I love that you took a lot of time to make it for me, thank you," Shikamaru said against her neck, kissing it to express his appreciation and gratitude. Ino was happy and she embraced him just as tightly.
They broke the hug with him saying, "Since you gave me this great gift, I can now give you one more surprise." He held her hands, took a deep breath to compose himself and continued, "Ino, just like you said, we have been through a lot together. We have lost a lot in the war and pulled through together, I believe I wouldn't have been focused if I didn't remember that you were still there with me. For that, I'm happy, relieved actually to know that you are safe. You have been a loyal childhood friend, an excellent teammate and a loving, caring girlfriend. I love you, I always will and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
Ino was visibly stunned by his words as he let go of her hands to take out a small ring box from his pocket before asking, "Ino Yamanaka, my childhood friend and my girlfriend, will you do me the honor of marrying me?"
Ino brought her hands to her mouth, gasping when he opened the ring box, revealing a princess cut sapphire with small diamonds surrounding it on a silver band. Tears had started to flow out of her eyes as she could barely contain her happiness. She then tackled him to the ground, enveloping him in a hug as she answered, shaking from crying tears of joy, "Yes, I will marry you Shika."
Shikamaru smiled as he hugged her back, waiting for her to stop crying. When she did, they both sat up and he slid the ring on her ring finger on her left hand. She looked at it, admiring how beautiful it was. Then she felt him caress her cheek and she looked in his eyes lovingly before they closed the gap between them. The kiss started out soft, tender and loving, until Ino nipped on his bottom lip, asking for entry. Shikamaru smiled against her lips as he granted permission, now the kiss turned fiery and passionate as they clashed tongues. The world dissolved around them, now it was only them in their own little world, oblivious to anything outside when they only thought of each other. Shikamaru then explored her mouth expertly, making her moan since he memorized which spots drove her crazy. When air became an issue, they parted, breathing heavily as they gazed into each other's eyes.
Ino gave him a loving stare and a peck on the lips before saying, "I love you, Shikamaru Nara and I always will."
Shikamaru responded with a smile and a kiss of his own, before he replied, "I love you too, Ino Yamanaka. Of course, it will be Ino Nara soon."
Ino giggled at her fiancé, happy beyond words as they lay against the tree to stargaze once more. Ino then proceeded to ask, "When do you think we could get married? We don't turn 18 until September."
"I guess we could get married in April, I know that it is your favorite month to get married in. What do you think?" Shikamaru asked.
Ino pondered over his suggestion and replied, "I think that it is a good month, April it is." Then she added, "What flowers do you want at it?"
Shikamaru sighed, "Troublesome woman, you don't need to plan it right now. Let's just look at the stars then leave the planning for later."
Ino sighed in content as she laid her head on his shoulder, while he had his arm wrapped around her waist. She turned her head to give him a kiss on his lips and whispered, "Happy Anniversary, Shika."
He kissed the top of her head and replied softly, "Happy Anniversary, Ino"
So they lay there, stargazing at the beautiful night sky, happy that their loved one is with them, both dreaming of their future together. Nothing could pull them out of their world, a world meant only for them and they wouldn't have it any other way.
Well, that is part three. I hope you have enjoyed this chapter as much as I have writing it. Please feel free to leave a review and come back next time for the epilogue.
