Okay, I get it that many people were happy that I finally updated this fic, but...go easy on me okay? 'cos I'm having a terribly busy school year! So maybe the next time I update will be erm. Not so soon. Haha! Be patient please! Thankiew!

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto, as does Shikamaru to Ino! x) lol.

Chapter Seven: Miscommunication

Ino's eyes flew open and she gasped. At this, Shikamaru was startled and accidentally fell into her, pushing her klutzily onto the ground with him lying on top in a heap.

Of course, their lips were still somehow stuck together, and their faces both turned a very bright red as they slowly broke apart. Ino was gazing up at Shikamaru with wide eyes. Shikamaru inched himself up from his position and sat beside Ino awkwardly. Ino sat up and continued staring at Shikamaru, still blushing.

"You have some explaining to do, Nara."

Shikamaru's ears went red too. "I…fell over."

"You fell over."

"Yes."

Ino tilted her head and folded her arms, her mouth forming a small pout. Nevertheless her heart was hammering away excitedly – no, not excitedly! It was just the hormones raging…a case of adrenaline. "So you fell over and your lips making contact with mine was just a mere coincidence."

"… Yes."

"You're lying."

"NO I'M NOT!" Shikamaru burst out. In shock, he clapped his hands to his mouth and muttered in a decidedly more calm tone, "I – I mean…I'm not."

Ino was getting suspicious. Shikamaru was usually calm and composed, with an I-don't-care-about-anything air about him. He never yelled, never got excited, and never screamed. Sure, he smirked sometimes. He could smile on the rare occasion. (the rare occasions were getting more frequent nowadays) But he never lost his cool.

Something was definitely up with Shikamaru, and Ino was determined to find out what. Previous thoughts about Sasuke disappeared into thin air.

"Sorry if I made you uncomfortable or anything." Shikamaru was speaking.

Ino shrugged. "Not really," she lied. The butterflies were still in her stomach but she pretty much ignored them. It was simply a case of…adrenaline. "So tell me. What's up with you?" She looked to the stars.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "I – don't get your meaning."

"Why did you kiss me?"

"I didn't!" he said defensively.

"Our lips touched. That's a kiss."

Shikamaru recalled the lingering taste of Ino's lips and a hint of a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Mm."

"Why did you do that?"

Shikamaru started to frown. Wasn't Ino embarrassed by it? Why was she acting like it meant nothing to her, and was in fact something to interrogate?

"Oi, Shikamaru."

"What?"

"Tell me why you kissed me. Come on, you can tell me. Did someone put you up to it? Or did Chouji give you a dare to do?"

Shikamaru felt like burying his face in his hands. Ino obviously thought it was one huge joke! "No, Ino," he said in a tired voice.

"Then-"

"Look, it...was not done on purpose. Sorry about it. Now stop asking me questions!" He got up angrily and started to walk away. Why did he even bother anyway? Why had he been so stupid? Kissing her like that...he must have been out of his mind. At least she stopped crying about that stupid Uchiha, he thought, rolling his eyes.

"Shika-kun." Ino was calling his name. Shikamaru sighed and turned his head around. Ino bit her lower lip, knowing full well that Shikamaru was angry. "You know...the wish I made just now? Do you want to know what it was?"

Shikamaru wanted to ignore her but instead found himself asking curiously, "What?"

"I wished to be happy."

"And?"

"When you kissed me just now, accident or not...I think I felt much happier after that." She hoped that Shikamaru would feel better after hearing what she said, though in what way it would help she had no idea. What was she thinking, anyway? What nonsense was she saying about being happy about that - KISS? She felt herself blushing again.

Shikamaru smirked to himself upon hearing what Ino said. Maybe giving in to his urges once in a while was not such a bad thing after all. He liked the feeling of his heart doing somersaults anyway. "Glad to hear that, Ino." But he wished he could say much more. He was about to walk off when he heard Ino call his name again. "Yes?"

Ino got up and walked towards him and asked somewhat shyly, "Will you walk me home? It's getting dark, and...I don't really like the dark."

"You mean the Yamanaka Ino is afraid of the dark?" Shikamaru found himself laughing. Ino looked like she was about to hit him but thought better of it and withdrew her balled fist, instead sticking out her tongue.

"Tch, don't be stupid. I just don't like walking in the dark!" she said defensively. Shikamaru grinned.

It was an uneventful walk to Ino's house, with the occasional questions like 'Are you cold?' or 'Is your dad well?' The sky grew, if possible, even darker, and Ino was grateful for having Shikamaru to accompany her home.

Finally they reached Ino's front porch, and Ino smiled at Shikamaru, her hand on the doorknob.

"Goodnight, Shika-kun. Thanks for walking me home."

"Goodnight, Ino-chan." Shikamaru patted her shoulder after a moment's hesitation. "You know, if you have any...problems, or whatever," he said, scratching his head a little bashfully, "you can always come to me. I'll be there for you. As friends. I'll listen to you."

Ino beamed. "Aw, you're so sweet, Shika-kun!" Then she leaned forward and gave Shikamaru a quick hug. Shikamaru blushed at her touch. "I'll come to you if I have any problems, okay? And don't worry about me, I'll-I'll be fine." She managed a smile. "You'd better go home now! It's late."

"Alright, Ino-chan. Bye." Shikamaru tried to keep a straight face as he turned and walked away from Ino's house. As soon as he heard Ino close the door, he gave a huge sigh. Then he grinned uncontrollably. He had never been so happy in his life.

Shikamaru decided he did not want to go home yet. If he went home, the wonderful feeling in his heart would vanish because of his mother's constant yelling. He chose to relish the feeling while it lasted. He headed for his favourite spot in the village, where he usually watched the clouds. Except that there were no clouds at that moment since it was night time.

"Aah, I wonder why she wasn't acting troublesome as usual?" he wondered aloud to himself, lying on the grass and folding his arms behind his head.

"Shikamaru?"

"HUH?" Shikamaru got up hastily and looked around. Who was calling his name?

Then Sakura came into sight, an empty picnic basket in hand. She strolled over to Shikamaru and smiled at him. "Hello, Shikamaru. I thought I heard someone mumbling the word 'troublesome' just now and I figured you were here...anyway." The expression on her face grew slightly more serious. "I need to talk to you."

Shikamaru stared at Sakura for a moment, then sighed and laid his head back down onto the soft grass. "Go ahead, Sakura-chan. Say what you want." He had a feeling it was going to be a very, troublesome talk.

A/N: I'm DONE! Yay! Whew...hope this is quick enough an update? Lol...R&R then! I plan to have erm...at least 40 to 45 reviews by the end of this fic? Can't have very high expectations 'cos this IS my first fic anyway so. Heheh. Wait for my next update then!