Shikamaru found himself staring at the clock in his first period with an unusual intensify. The minute hand was moving painfully slow as he continue to glare at it. There was roughly ten minutes left in the class and on most occasions he would be dozing off already. It wasn't like there was much to do in this period since it was just literature which meant they were reading from some play that he'd catch up on later that night. That would've given him ample time for a nap but instead he found his eyes wide open and peering at the clock in the front of the classroom. Each second placed another odd feeling in his stomach. It had become highly uncomfortable within a few minutes but now it was hardly bearable. He wasn't sure of the particular reason for it but his mind kept flashing back to earlier that morning. Ino and Sasuke had snuck off school grounds but there was something strange about the encounter. Sasuke had pushed the idea and for whatever reason Ino had accepted despite her squeaky clean reputation. Something just didn't feel right especially when he remebered the nervousness in her blue eyes and the sly smirk on his pale face. He couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was happening to them. Well actually he couldn't have cared less about Sasuke but he was worried about his blonde girlfriend. Why he was, well he wasn't sure but the feeling in his stomach only intensified when he thought about the idea. He supposed at the moment it wasn't his place to worry, Sasuke had promised to be back in school before second period and first period was yet to be over. Ino was in Shikamaru's next class so he'd know if the Uchiha kept his word and if he hadn't then Shikamaru would really start to worry.


"Sasuke can you stop for a sec?" Ino asked harshly. They were still in the same alleyway and the eeriness of it was really starting to give her a bad feeling. So were the feverish kisses her boyfriend was trying to plant all over her body. Something felt off about the whole situation and Ino didn't like it. It was beginning to be too much for her to handle, she wasn't ready for anything intimate like this.

"What is it now?" Sasuke growled and shot her a steely glare. He was throughouly agitated by how slow this process was. He thought she'd be in the palm of his hand after one hot kiss. He was very wrong. Maybe she wasn't as into him as she let on.

"I already told you I'm not comfortable with how forward you're being. Can't you just slow down a bit?" She questioned and gently pushed his chest to give her an extra inch of space since he had taken it all up when his hormones kicked in.

"Why should I? I'm enjoying myself." He scoffed and brought his leg between her thighs as he pushed her back against the brick wall. She yelped in surprise as his hands planted on the hips keeping her in place. Yes, she definitely wasn't ready for this.

"Because I'm not! Don't you care about my feelings at all!" She shouted, now she was getting scared. He gave no answer and bunched the fabric of her skirt in his fist to rise it higher up her thigh. Her own hand flew down to catch his wrist before her panties were exposed. He had still stretched the fabric enough that it know slid down her hip on the left side much to her dismay.

"You're so annoying." He grumbled and raised a hand to the collar of her blouse and promptly tore it to expose her right shoulder and the top of her lavender bra. He ignored her squeak of disapproval and her plead for him to stop.

"I'm your boyfriend Ino, why can't you just trust me?" He sighed and moved his knee higher into her skirt.

That's when she reached her limit, using every ounce of strength in her body she thrust him forward into the opposite wall and away from her. Her eyes widened in vague surprise when he lost his balance and fell to the cement floor as well. Then using his moment of shock to her advantage she sprinted out of the alley at a neck breaking speed. She felt the urge to cry but knew it would just hinder her escape so she pushed it down and bolted down the street. She was thankful the street was empty so no one could see the indecent displays of her undergarments as they peeked through her wrecked clothes. Her feet carried her around the corner past the house for sale on Mapel Road and the bank. Her lungs were begging on their knees for her to slow her pace but she refused to listen. She peeked over her shoulder and saw Sasuke had recovered from his shock and was now chasing. She was still far ahead of him but that wouldn't be the case for long. He was star sprinter on the track team for a reason.

She ran blindly through the streets with no sense of where she was going. She just wanted to get away from her pursuer. She never fully trained the guy but never thought he would try something as horrid as that.

Ino heard Sasuke shout her name and could know hear his footsteps among hers. She inwardly cursed and sharply turned another corner in an effort to lose him. Instead she felt her ankle twist at the sudden move and she cried out in pain. If he hadn't already seen her then he surely heard her. Now she really felt like crying, she couldn't catch even the slightest bit of breath and her ankle was throbbing as she leaned against the wall in defeat.

His footsteps filled her eardrums with doom as they grew louder. She could tell they were not running at a full speed anymore, he knew she was done running so why bother. His long legs could easily beat her injured ones.

"H-how did you learn to run like that." He huffed when he met her in the alley. His cheeks were slightly flushed from the exerted effort of sprinting a far too long distance. No words came out of her heaving mouth, she still couldn't breathe and felt like she was being held underwater. He was moving towards slowly just trying to torment her more by prolonging his victory. Or maybe he was moving slowly since all her senses were seeking to fail her, why was she so dizzy?

However one sense came through clearly, touch. As soon as his hand clamped down on her wrist she felt one last burst of energy rise in her chest and ripped her arm from his grasp and ran out of the dark alley and into a new street. She didn't last longer than that before her ankle reminded her of its injury and made her fall over into the road. Bringing her knees to her chest she laid helplessly on the ground with nothing but clenched lungs and breathless shudders. She squeezed her blue eyes shut to give false comfort that no one was walking closer to her. The tears she had pushed back now seeping through her shut lids and down her cheeks.

She could sense his presence looming over her body but also knew he was just standing there. What was he waiting for? Agonizing seconds turned into minutes and nothing was happening to her. But then he kneeled beside her and she knew she wouldn't stand a chance at protecting herself. She couldn't even scream for someone else to protect her since the only sounds escaping her lips were gasps for air.

"Get the hell away from her!" A low threatening voice ordered from behind them. Ino felt like she recognized it but she couldn't place her finger on it. Whoever it belonged to didn't matter to her though. All that mattered was that her mysterious hero keep Sasuke far away from her.

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke spat back viciously. Whoever this guy was Sasuke obviously didn't like him. That only made her like him even more. She heard footsteps come behind her to where she assumed Sasuke was. Ino noted that he had stood up. Still she refused to pry her eyes open to see her rescuer, she wanted to wait until Sasuke had left. She couldn't bear to look at him.

"Ino wasn't in second period so I came to look for her. I had a bad feeling about you and I guess I'm correct." The other man replied smugly, his voice was still dangerously deep. Ino swore she knew this voice but something seemed off about it.

"And what do you mean by that, do tell." Sasuke groaned and stepped back. Having more distance between them made Ino feel relieved.

"Well I've never liked you, you always seemed like sort of an ass. But judging by the state of your girlfriend, now I'm sure that you are far worse than that." he answered and added extra emphasis on her title. It was like it was a joke to him. It was to her as well.

"So what are you going to do about it?" he provoked. Ino wasn't positive but she believed he was moving closer to the other boy like a lion hunting a gazelle.

"I won't have to do anything if you go away. Never touch Ino again and I won't give you any trouble." The boy replied nonchalantly. Now that tone was something Ino knew of but still no face matched the voice. It was extremely frustrating for the blonde.

"I doubt you'd be able to give me trouble either way." Sasuke sniffed in arrogance. Ino expected another tough response out of this guy, and she did just not like she imagined. She heard bone connecting to more bone; a fist to the face. Sasuke had given a grunt of pain before falling down onto the ground beside her.

"Huh, I wouldn't have expected that out of someone like you. Fine take her for all I care, she's a pain in the ass anyway." Sasuke grumbled as he stood back up. Ino then heard his footsteps carry him away from both her and her unknown hero.

Her tears had already stopped and her breathing was now making an effort to calm. Well at least I'm not a complete wreck, she thought as she uncurled herself from her little ball. She felt big hands on her shoulders as they pulled her up into a sitting postion against the front of her mysterious hero. Something felt so familiar about him as she unknowingly curled into him.

"Thank you so much..." She began and realized she had yet to see who she was supposed to be thanking. In the movies the girl would slowly flutter her eyelids and have him come into view from a blur to finally focusing on his face. Well Ino wasn't in a movie and she burst her eyelids open to see her rescuer. Shikamaru Nara. She knew the voice was familiar and so was the smell of cedar on his clothes.

"Shikamaru." She finished with an eternally grateful smile. She knew a blush was on her cheeks but she didn't mind as she threw her arms around him.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She exclaimed in gratitude. For some reason Ino thought she would be more surprised that it was him but it felt strangely natural that he was the one protecting her. She wasn't sure why yet.

"Are you hurt?" He asked, completely dismissing her thanks. His deep brown eyes were glazed in concern as he took in her desperate state. She didn't look that bad lying on the ground, had he known what Sasuke had truly done he would've killed him on the spot. He felt this overwhelming feeling of protectiveness for this girl all of the sudden. No one was going to touch her for the next millennium.

"Oh not really, I think I twisted my ankle but it should be fine." Ino relied oddly cheerfully given the event she had just experienced. She couldn't let him know how much it was hurting her on the inside, she never let anyone know what caused her pain. She'd handle the grief at some other time when she was alone. For the time being she had to convince him she was alright.

"Yeah I saw you fall. But I mean did he hurt you, like you know..." He mumbled not sure how to ask. He looked over her ripped clothes, particularly the torn collar of her blouse that gave an ample view of her bra. Bashful my he turned his attention back to her face. There was bleeding scratch on her face that he assumed she got when she fell, at least he hoped that's why.

"Well he tried but I fought him off. That's when he started chasing me and I twisted my ankle and you came and saved me. You're quite the hero might I add." She denied with a very sweet smile. Shikamaru noted that even covered in dirt and bruises she was still ungodly beautiful. Her sky blue eyes popped especially as they twinkled at him.

"Maybe we should go to a doctor." He suggested and shifted his postion to get up. Ino's hand gripping his arm pulled him back down.

"I'm fine, really." She stated. That wasn't enough to convince him.

"But you're pretty banged up Ino. Besides we need to tell someone what happened." Shikamaru objected and pulled the blonde up with him. She winced when the pressure hit her ankle and clutched his arm harder for support.

"It might be broken or sprained." He observed when he peered at her rapidly swelling ankle.

"I doubt that. I'll just ice it when I get home. Speaking of which you wouldn't mind walking me back would you?" She asked already knowing he'd agree. He'd have to be a bastard to say no and she knew he was not.

"Of course, but are you sure you don't want to stop by the police station first. Or Chouji's dad maybe?" Shikamaru questioned with an eyebrow raised. Surely she would want to report what Sasuke did to her and get some justice. He wasn't sure why she hadn't already suggested it.

"Nope. Actually I was thinking we could keep this whole thing quiet for awhile. It would just cause so much drama."

Shikamaru blinked absently several times, he couldn't believe what she just said. What drama was worse than reporting an assailant? He couldn't think of a damn thing.

"That is a terrible idea Ino. Do you know what else he could do to you other girls. He's trouble and needs to be punished for it." He objected firmly. He's report the guy himself if he had to. He wasn't going to let him hurt Ino ever again, it could also serve as a warning for any other guy that wanted to try. The girl would be protected, he would make utterly sure of it.

"Well yes, but it's just I can't handle it right now. I was so, so scared Shikamaru and I just want to forget it all happened at least for a little while. And if I do tell what happened who knows what he'll do to me, he can much worse. You can understand that right?" Ino replied trying her hardest to play up the terrified girl card. If she could make herself look like she desperately needed this then maybe Shikamaru would allow it. It worked a lot in movies so she hoped it would work in real life to.

"I guess if he really scares you that much then waiting might not be that bad. But also if that's the case then you should get some help though. I say that in the nicest way possible." Shikamaru agreed and shot a worried glance at her.

"What, like a bodyguard?" Ino asked with a cocked head. She wasn't quite sure what he was getting at beside uncle Chouza was essentially her bodyguard. She'd never tell him about Sasuke though, that would be a scary sight.

"More like a therapist or at the very least someone to talk to about it." Shikamaru replied now looking at the sky nervously.

"But I don't really have someone like that and if anyone found out I went to a therapist so many rumors would come out." Ino objected once again. It was strange to have someone care about her like that. Most people would just turn a blind eye but he honestly wants her to feel safe and okay. She sort of liked the foreign feeling.

"Well I'll listen if you want."