Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me
WAAAHH! I know it's been a long time since I last updated so many MANY apologies and thanks to all of you who were so supportive and patient with my laziness. I'm so tired right now it's not even funny but hopefully this chapter turns out to be okay. I'll try my best not to be so horribly late for the next chapter, ok? So please enjoy!
Oh, and I just have to give a huge shout-out to Samurai Champloo and Ouran High School. I've recently become totally and completely hooked on to these two animes and have been trying to go through all the episodes like a crazy person. Kyouya, Hikaru, Mugen … (swoons) …
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Chapter 4
"Maaa…"
Grimacing, Shikamaru groaned and buried his face deeper into the pillow. The warm ray of sunlight peeking through the fluttering curtains danced impishly over the back of his neck, accompanied by the persistently cheerful chirping of a nearby bird.
"Ehhh…"
Another sleepy groan sounded from the long lump on the bed as the shinobi tried to shut out the various signs of a busy morning. Flinging out his right arm, a strong tanned hand sought out the soft bundle he unconsciously expected to be settled next to him. The crease in his forehead deepened when nothing but empty air greeted his lazy search. Cracking open one dark eye marginally, he peered over at the already cold side of the bed with an expression of mild surprise.
Ino was anything but an early riser. In fact, he had often complained about her nagging him to wake up earlier when she was the one who kept insisting on needing her beauty sleep. The oddity of her having voluntarily gotten up on a day when she didn't have a mission proved to be a more successful wake-up call to Shikamaru than anything else.
"Ino?"
Twisting his head around to squint blearily around the room, Shikamaru reluctantly untangled himself from the bedsheets bunched up around his legs. The bird outside the window chirped loudly again, mocking him in the ensuing silence.
"Ino? Mendokuse…"
The boy swung his legs over the side of the bed, taking a moment to scratch the back of his head. As he blinked the last vestiges of sleep from his eyes, memories of last night flooded back into his mind like an unbidden tsunami.
He could still feel her in his arms, warm and pliant, the soft sounds of her breath whispering over his skin as he sipped his fill from her lips. Lips that were infinitely smooth and full, tasting like sunshine and apples, an addictive drug that he had most willingly fallen victim to from the first moment he had been granted access.
The hand on the bed clenched slightly as he remembered how her voice had floated through the bathroom door beforehand, asking him if he wanted to spend the night with her.
"Besides, you were gone on that mission and I kinda…"
He had stiffened immediately, barely noticing the hesitant hope shining back from the face in the foggy mirror. A million scenarios had run through his mind in that split second as she stumbled on through her invitation, every single one of them more explicit than the last before he ruthlessly quashed that particular stream of thought in order to answer her with some modicum of complacency.
A weary sigh escaped his lips as his mind quickly sped through the rest of his memories. Nothing had turned out as he had hoped; if anything, it had produced a surge of emotions strong enough that Shikamaru had only barely restrained himself from actually snapping at Ino.
"Neji used his healing jutsu on me after we finished up … his chakra feels incredible."
His lips thinned momentarily before Shikamaru heaved another sigh, this time pushing himself to his feet and heading out into the hallway. He tried again.
"Ino?"
The sound of a chair scraping on the floor met his query.
Ino was in the process of tossing a banana peel in the garbage as Shikamaru leaned against the side of the counter.
"Hey."
"Hey."
She barely turned as she brushed past him, already dressed in her usual training outfit. The clean smell of soap wafted up to him in her wake, making him wonder if she had woken up long enough to take another shower.
"You're up early."
"Hmm."
An indifferent sound was all the response he got. Shikamaru frowned slightly when Ino paused in the foyer to slip on her sandals. She was acting weird.
"So, you have something to do today?"
"Yeah, I'm meeting the girls."
Tossing her long ponytail over her shoulder, Ino straightened and met him squarely in the eye for the first time that morning. He was all lean muscle, long and relaxed amidst the plain white surroundings.
"There's some fruit on the table and milk in the fridge. Just help yourself and don't forget to lock the door behind you when you leave."
The door shut before Shikamaru had the chance to reply. As he stared confusedly at the space she had previously occupied, the quiet drip-drip of the tap broke through the silence. Walking over to push it shut, his eyes narrowed as he followed her suggestion and bit thoughtfully into an apple.
Ino was blunt and direct, the type of personality given more to immediate expression than hidden thought. If she was happy, she blossomed; if she was sad, she cried; and if she was angry, she exploded. True, she was sneaky and resourceful, traits that served her well as a kunoichi and had probably saved her life more than once. But in no way was Ino underhanded or cruel. If she was upset about something, then she would let him know, and very loudly too.
Sending the rest of his apple in the same direction as her banana peel, Shikamaru stretched out his limbs as his mind worked furiously, yawning openly as several joints popped. Ino would always complain whenever he did that around her, yammering on about how it sounded gross.
No matter how hard he thought, he couldn't figure out what had happened between last night and this morning. Unless he had unknowingly done something to her in his sleep Shikamaru was pretty sure he was in the clear this time. Actually, she had seemed okay when they finally fell asleep while he was the one who had been frustrated and irritated.
Shaking his head in resignation, Shikamaru strode back down towards the bathroom.
Damn, I wonder if she still kept my toothbrush here?
-o-O-o-
"Another plate of manjuu please, Gatsuiyi-san!"
"Hai!"
On cue, a small plate of the specially roasted buns appeared on the table. The plump older lady smiled on proudly as Ino attacked her sixth skewer with ferocity a bag of chips usually received from Chouji , barely wincing as the hot sweet filling squirted into her mouth. The girls, on the other hand, exchanged telling glances.
"Umm, Ino-chan?"
"Mphmf?"
Hinata squirmed slightly in her seat, unsure of how to approach the rather personal topic of Ino's sudden and disturbing change in eating habits. She chewed on her lower lip for a moment before trying again.
"Umm, Ino-chan, maybe you should slow down. It's not healthy…"
"Whardu mean ish nat healfee?"
"Gah, Ino! Close your mouth for cheap's sake!"
Flinging a napkin in the blonde's face in exasperation, Sakura snagged the one Ino's hand was reaching out towards and proceeded to bite into it daintily. Swallowing, Ino scowled at her and chucked the napkin right back at its owner.
"Shut up, forehead! Like you're that much politer than me. We all know you're really just a nose-picking ogre with fuzzy pink hair."
Both Hinata and Tenten winced as Sakura's high-pitched shriek filled the small, and mercifully empty, shop. That was soon followed by a spit-fire exchange of old insults and name-calling, all of which were relatively familiar to the other girls by now.
"Here. Drink up."
Shoving a steaming cup of tea in both their hands, the older kunoichi fixed them both with a no-nonsense look, to which they replied with huffy acquiescence.
Tapping the edge of her own cup with a long finger, Tenten pursed her lips in curiosity.
"What to tell us what's up, Ino-chan?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Feigning ignorance, the girl in question flipped a finished skewer in the air, catching it half-heartedly as it spun its way back down. A determined kick on the shin had her hissing over into Sakura's grinning face.
"Stop pretending, Ino-pig. You only stuff yourself whenever you're stressed out and by the looks of the way you've been mashing food down your throat all morning, it's probably something big. So spill."
Grumbling, Ino's sour mood ever since she had woken up this morning simply mounted when her old friend managed to evade her return kick. Shoving the half-empty plate away, she mused inwardly, heedless of her companion's expectant gazes.
She had woken up this morning to the smell of fresh grass and warm male. The scent had been instinctively pleasing and she had burrowed deeper into the warmth that seemed to be wrapped around her. Ino had just begun to doze off again until the prickle of consciousness in her mind reminded her that the gentle rumbling sensation under her cheek was hardly usual of her pillow.
Forcing her heavy eyes to open, she had been met with the sight of smooth, tan flesh. She had been pressed up close to Shikamaru, his arms loosely enfolding her and his legs entangled with hers. The soft, steady sounds of his breathing rustled the strands of hair by her face as he slept on. Ino had simply lay there for a long while, content to draw faint patterns on his arm in the soft darkness of her bedroom.
She didn't often wake up before him. Rarer still was the occurrence of her waking up before him while they were together like this. She had recalled the last time they had fallen asleep under his favourite pine tree up on the hill where he usually lazed about staring at the clouds. Ino had been awakened by the feel of something tickling her nose that refused to be ignored. The sun was behind him and veiled his face in shadows but she had felt him staring at her, the offending weapon, a single daisy, dangling teasingly from his fingers.
Ino had wrinkled her nose at him, ready to fuss that it was embarrassing for a guy to just stare at a girl like that and not say anything, when he had surprised her by slipping said daisy behind her ear. Chucking her lightly on the chin, he had given her that rare smile and pulled her to her feet, her hand held securely in his own larger one as he led them both back home.
A smile had touched her lips at the memory as Ino lay there silently. Perversely however, it almost immediately strengthened her resolve from the night before. It was silly of her to lie there mooning over such tiny, insignificant gestures.
It wasn't good enough.
And so she had extricated herself from his hold, and none too gently at that, and stalked into the bathroom, her eyes narrowing when the sleeping shinobi simply released a quiet snore and rolled over.
"Oi. Ino."
"Eh?"
Large blue eyes blinked at the hand waving in front of her face. Sakura raised a skeptical eyebrow, concerned enough by now to actually let it show in her voice.
"What's going on, Ino? It can't be that bad, right?"
"It's nothing. Really. Just feeling a bit antsy; it's been ages since I had a mission and you know how I hate being cooped up."
"Come on, we…"
A rather obvious elbow in the ribs cut off the rest of her sentence. Tenten smiled kindly, clearly having discerned from Ino's expression that she was not ready to talk about whatever it was yet.
"In that case, why don't we go loosen up? It's better than sitting around all day long."
"Yeah! I need to work off all this food anyways."
Grateful for the change in subject, Ino bounced to her feet, literally dragging an unresisting Hinata out of the shop in her enthusiasm.
She chattered away loudly as the small group headed through the village towards the stream. They often came here to relax when it was just the four of them, the swaying blossom trees heavy with snowy white flowers that scattered and danced into the rustling water below in the aftermath of their sparring. Other shinobi rarely intruded; preferring the vast open space of the numerous training spots instead. In fact, Neji himself had once remarked that it was 'misleading' to train in an area that painted such an idealized picture of the death and destruction that was a shinobi's life.
That was exactly what she wanted right now. An escape from reality, however delusional.
"You ready?"
Ino smiled as the glint of metal shone directly into her eyes.
"Always."
And with that, Tenten came at her at full speed, the force of her attacks stinging Ino's hand as the hilt of her kunai dug into her palm. The sound of 'Byakuygan' nearby signaled the start of Sakura's spar with Hinata.
"Can't you do better than that, Ten-chan?"
Laughing, she spun around, concentrating enough chakra in her leg to slice the corner of the older girl's cheongsam as she leaped out of the way. Tenten crooked her a smile before hurling a variety of weapons towards her, all spinning and catching the light such that Ino was momentarily blinded.
In the split second that it took to shift her head, a bruising kick swiped her legs out from under her. She hit the ground hard, barely having time to adjust her body so that she didn't land on her forearm and crush it.
Tenten stood over her, grinning and offering her a hand.
"Yeah, dirty trick, I know. Here."
Accepting defeat with a wry smirk, the blonde loosened up her shoulder joint, wincing as an experimental roll pulled at the dull ache in her side.
Damn, still hurts. I must have gotten hit harder than I thought.
"No problem; you won fair and square. Hey, have you lost yet, forehead?"
A huge crash sounded right in the middle of her question. As the dust cleared, they could see Sakura standing amidst a scattered pile of rocks, the remnants of what used to be a rock of a rather larger size. Hinata was a few metres away, the faint glow of chakra emanating from her entire body. As far as Ino could tell, not a single scratch was on the Hyuuga, even though both girls were breathing quickly.
"It's obvious you're losing, forehead! Your freaky elephant powers aren't going to work against Jyukken."
Scowling, Sakura nevertheless turned to face Ino after shooting Hinata an encouraging smile.
"Whatever, Ino-pig. Let's have at it then."
"Don't blame me if you lose twice in one day."
Picking up her speed, Ino started running in a circle around her friend, closely watching as Sakura's eyes flickered after her. A sharp clang filled the air as one of the shuriken Ino threw was deftly deflected; more and more followed as the whirlwind continued.
The familiar sound of blade on blade carried through the air, catching the attention of one particular shinobi who was, by now, aimlessly strolling around Konoha on a rare day off.
Shikamaru paused, mildly interested in seeing exactly who it was that had so much energy to be training on such a peaceful day. He figured it was probably Lee and Gai-sensei, the two of them practically poster-boys, or perhaps poster boy and freaky old man, for unnecessary hard work.
He was met with the sight of four very different and much less gag-inducing faces.
Folding his arms behind his head, he surveyed the scene further down the hill below him, yawning occasionally in the warm weather. The pair with Tenten and Hinata were fighting seriously, both concentrating hard on what they were doing and exchanging little to no words at all. The other pair were yelling any number of admirably creative taunts at each other, their mouths working almost as hard as the rest of their bodies.
The Jounin sighed as his attention focused on Ino, taking advantage of the opportunity to evaluate her skills. Ever since he had been promoted, his missions rarely solely involved his old genin group and given the fact that Ino preferred to train with certain other people, it had actually be quite a while since Shikamaru had been able to watch her in action.
To his eyes, what he saw was satisfactory. Her speed and strength had improved; her chakra control always having been above average given her family specialty in ninjutsu. If anything, he thought she needed work on inventing a greater variety of attacks rather simply than relying on her innate cunning to get her out of troublesome situations. It bothered him that such a fundamental error had not already been spotted and rectified.
Hyuuga Neji should have pointed it out a long time ago. What the hell was he teaching her during training then?
A particularly loud and annoying screech had him wincing in automatic self-preservation.
"Ha! I knew you'd fall for that!"
Glancing back up again, a warning bell went off in his head as he spotted Sakura winding back her arm in preparation for a good, solid punch. Unfortunately for Ino, she was still halfway through a somersault in the air and would not be able to avoid it.
A punch, Shikamaru saw, would most likely land in Ino's side with the intention to knock the wind out of her.
Her right side.
The whoosh of swift footsteps sounded off to her right. Ino looked up to see a large hand clasped firmly around Sakura's wrist. The hand belonged to Shikamaru, who had darted to stand in front of her so swiftly that it had caught all of them off-guard.
"Shikamaru-kun?"
"She's sore on the right-hand side. Watch what you're doing."
The almost sharp tone in his voice was even more surprising. Tenten frowned while Hinata sucked in a quiet gasp as Shikamaru let go of Sakura, turning his back on her as he moved towards the girl standing stiffly behind him. If he saw the other kunoichi gingerly rub her wrist with a frown, he gave no indication of caring.
"Hey, you okay?"
A gentle hand touched her elbow but Ino shook it off abruptly, her eyes narrowing.
"I'm fine! Don't talk about me like I'm not here, Shikamaru! I can take care of myself just fine without you."
This time, the uneasy looks were switched to Ino as she glared up into the startled face gazing down at her. Something flitted over the warm concern on his face but all was quickly wiped away into a closed off expression.
Shikamaru straightened, taking a casual step back. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he scrutinized her silently, his eyes dark and unreadable. Ino stared right back at him, her own hands unthinkingly clenching and unclenching by her sides.
His voice was quiet and steady.
"You should still get it looked at. I'll come with you to the hospi…"
"Forget this! I'm going home!"
Stalking past him in long, angry strides, Ino hooked an arm through Sakura's and proceeding in yanking her down the path. Her brilliant blonde hair shimmered in the sunlight, in stark contrast to the darker colouring of the boy standing there staring after her.
"Sor-sorry, Shikamaru-kun. See you later."
Bowing in embarrassment for both the general situation and Ino's departure, Hinata hurried after the others. Tenten, on the other hand, remained there motionlessly, her eyes shrewdly assessing the boy in front of her.
Nara Shikamaru was both complex and simple. Complex in his strategies and simple in his needs. His battle tactics and his planning processes, the kunoichi had no illusions about being able to understand but his needs, she thought she had a fairly good grasp on. The young Jounin was as famous throughout the countries for his lazy, uninterested personality as he was for his mental abilities. Some joked that all you had to do was give him a piece of grass to lie down on and he would be content to never move a muscle.
But Tenten had seen it.
Had seen the overwhelming roar of emotions that had surfaced for that split second before he managed to shield it under his usual expression of general boredom. There was hurt and longing, swimming in a vast, unknown sea of confusion when Ino had knocked his hand away. Had rejected his help and him.
Standing here now, watching him try to cover it up and bury it deep within the growing mound of self-doubt, her kind heart could hardly bear it.
"Shikamaru-kun?"
"Huh?"
He turned to face her but Tenten suspected that she was not the one he saw.
"Are you okay?"
"…Eh."
His grunt came with a half-shrug. Sighing inwardly at her friend's thoughtless cruelty, she tried again.
"Ino-chan's just a little wound up today. She didn't mean it."
He met her in the eye. It was a little disconcerting the way those dark brown orbs pierced straight through you; Tenten couldn't recall if she had ever really looked at him dead-on. In some ways, it was not unlike Neji's Byakugan, only Shikamaru's gaze was alight with a veritable storehouse of intelligence.
"Oh?"
His nod was not meant as such.
Lifting an arm in parting, Shikamaru turned and headed in the opposite direction towards the forest.
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A/N: Ahh, that was my first real attempt at writing any sort of fight scene that was longer than a paragraph and didn't involve skipping people's actual movements just to get to the next bit.
But yeah, I've actually been working on some of the later chapters that suddenly caught me and were just jostling to be written before this one, hence the super late update. I'm looking forward to posting those cuz they're scenes that I examine and replay in my head until it looks right.
But apart from all this future-talk, I'll try to get the next chapter posted within a more reasonable timeframe. Thanks for reading and please do review!