Usotsuki Boy Chapter 10: Lie 9: STALKER, a naruto fanfic

Extra long chapter!

WARNING: Crude language ahead!

Lie 9: Stalker

Shikamaru clenched his teeth in frustration when his copies all reported back with negative results. Forming hand seals he created another half a dozen shadow clones in hopes of making quicker progress. The look in his eyes told the clones all they needed to know and in a flash they immediately dispersed in different directions. With a sigh Shikamaru watched as the sun began to dip behind the trees and he quickened his pace, jumping from branch to branch with incredible speed.

His fists clenched as he reached a clearing that overlooked the whole village.

"Ino…" he whispered breathlessly.

"…where are you?"

13 hours ago…

Morning light crept through the blinds in Yamanaka Ino's bedroom causing the walls to illuminate in a warm glow. Ino's eyes fluttered open and she sat up slowly, quietly stretching her arms above her head with a tired groan. She rubbed the sleep from her cerulean orbs before pulling up the blinds to witness mornings day.

From the corner of her eye she spotted the purple teddy bear Shikamaru had won her a week ago. A small smile crept across her face as she reached out towards the plushie. She gently grasped the bear and brought her knees up to her chest, letting the bear rest in her lap.

"It's already been two weeks huh?" she spoke gently, silently stroking the bear's soft fur. Thankfully she got her father to put their engagement on a 'hiatus' until furthur notice. With a small content sigh she hugged the bear closer and closed her eyes. Even if traces of him had already disappeared from the bear she could still recall Shikamaru's scent perfectly.

She released her hug on the toy and brought it to sit on her knees.

"Shikamaru should be getting back from his mission soon!" she exclaimed excitedly and held the bear's hands up in a cheering action. She grinned.

"I know! I'm excited too! He's been gone for a week already! I can't wait to see him!"

The bear's head tilted skeptically to the side. Ino frowned.

"Oh yeah, that's right…I had a date with Shinichi-kun planned…" The blonde's brows knitted in contemplation. After a moments hesitation she sighed.

"I guess Shikamaru's gonna have to wait…"

The bear's head bowed dejectedly.

"I know. I feel sad too, but it's not like Shika's my only priority right now! There are other boys to see!"

Silence...

Ino gasped.

"Whore?! Well it takes one to know one!"

After a brief pause Ino finally erupted into fits of giggles, feeling silly beyond belief. She sighed and removed the bear from off her knees, setting it back down as she got out of bed. Ino allowed a yawn to escape her lips before stretching once again, clasping her hands above her head until her creamy skin peeked out from beneath her small tank top.

"Well, I guess I should get dressed now! I'll probably just cut off my date short so I have more time with Shikamaru!" Ino announced decisively as she grabbed her towel and headed for the bathroom, a perky spring in each step as she thought of the lazy boy.

The lavender plushie sat on the bed motionlessly with its eyes facing Ino's disappearing back.

Regardless of the fact that it was an inanimate object, there was no denying it.

The bear had smiled.

11 hours and 45 minutes ago…

Ino grimaced when a familiar white envelope was passed to her by her mother.

"You've been getting these a lot lately sweetie…Have you tried turning the young man down?" Her mother inquired worriedly. Her motherly instincts told her that Ino was perturbed by the letters as much as she was.

"Don't worry mom, it's fine…" Ino smiled with reassurance and turned away, quietly making her way up the stairs.

This guy is really persistent…the blonde thought and opened up the envelope to reveal yet more pictures of her and a lame hand written love letter. Ino had thought that if she ignored the letters the guy would eventually stop. Her eyes flickered to the note in her hand. The messages her 'stalker' sent her were becoming more and more…strange with every letter she received. Ino folded the letter and inwardly shivered, pulling her drawer open so she could stuff the envelope and all of its contents inside.

She let out a comforting sigh.

She would be fine. After all, she WAS a kunoichi so if this guy tried to pull something she'd be able to defend herself.

With the encouraging statement in mind Ino grabbed her hair brush and went to get ready for her date.

10 hours and 5 minutes ago…

Giving herself a once over in the mirror Ino inspected her outfit carefully. Her usual lavender top was perfectly creaseless and her skirt pressed clean. She tilted her head to the left to inspect her hair and with an approving nod she headed for the door. With one last glance behind her she smiled flirtatiously in the mirror and grinned.

Perfect.

Now all she had left to do was meet Shika--uh Shin at the bookstore in downtown Konoha (the area where she was bound to go unrecognized).

Ino frowned. Why had she thought of her lazy teammate just then?

With a light shrug she bounded down the stairs and out of her house.

Around the same time elsewhere…

"Shikamaru-san!"

Onyx orbs drifted away from the clear blue sky until they landed on a long indigo-haired girl. The girl's cloudy eyes settled on his emotionless face before fiddling with her fingers.

"A-Ano…Shino-kun says it is time to go and that the mission was a success" Hinata announced quietly. Shikamaru gave her an acknowledging nod before sitting up with a yawn. The Nara spawn stood up from his grassy spot and proceeded to stretch. He honestly had no idea why he was needed for this mission since Shino and Lee obviously had everything covered already. The Aburame's smarts was as recognizable as his after all. As the two teens made their way back to camp Hinata glanced over at the chunin.

"Um, is everything okay Shikamaru-san? You seem a little…tired today…at least more then usual…" the girl noted, hoping that she wasn't prying too much. The boy merely yawned.

"Ah…yeah...nothing that I can't handle though…" he answered and threw the girl a small reassuring smile.

"But you seem to be lacking sleep…I'm sorry if we have been overworking you…" Hinata observed as she witnessed the dark circles under his eyes and remembered the countless nights Shikamaru stayed up to perfect the infiltration plans. With another yawn Shikamaru scratched the back of his head.

"Nah, Don't worry about it Hinata. It was my job to plan out the strategies anyway. I'm just glad everyone made it out safely"

Hinata nodded meekly and the two continued to tread down the dirt path.

"Alright…but I'll deliver the mission report to Hokage-sama so you can head straight home after we arrive in Konoha"

Shikamaru threw the girl a thankful smile.

7 hours ago…

Ino was not pleased.

Throughout the first hour of her date she was positive that her current boyfriend Shin had a ridiculous idea that he was going to get laid today. After all, he had been trying to grope her rear seven times, have a feel of her tits five times and convince her to go 'somewhere private' ten times.

Did he really think she was THAT easy??

She seriously needed to stop dating such horn dogs.

But then again, he was cute and he had cash.

Ino sighed. She was such a gold digger! Not that it mattered, these little flings weren't even worth calling 'dates' anyway. Shin wasn't her boyfriend. He was her toy.

And as sad as she was to admit it, she had found herself a defective toy…

The blonde mentally noted to try and date more courteous guys next time.

She rolled her eyes. It was too bad 'gentlemanly' guys were a dying breed…

There is no one out there suitable for MY baby girl!

Ino cupped her chin in her hands, pursing her lips cutely. Maybe her father was right…(Unknown to Ino, at this particular memory Inoichi had secretly whispered "Except Shikamaru" under his breath)

Just then, for some strange reason the blonde found herself thinking of that same lazy bum of hers.

…Which was very odd because she had NO CLUE what he was doing in her mind at such a random time…

Ino's sigh turned into a yelp when she felt a rough calloused hand run up her thigh slowly.

"Sh-Shin! You're back!" she forced a smile as she shifted to the edge of the seat, hoping to put as much distance between them as possible. To her dismay the boy only scooted closer to her.

"Ino babe, I'm getting tired of this place…lets go somewhere….more quiet alright?" The brunette suggested, raising his eyebrows suggestively. Ino inwardly scowled. Make that ELEVEN times….

"Ah, well…you know Shin…it's that time of month for me so uh…I don't think we can 'do anything' tonight…" she smiled apologetically. The boy cocked his brow higher.

"Huh?"

Mental note, get someone gentlemanly AND smart!

"I can't pleasure you tonight" Ino tried again in a low whisper.

Awareness finally dawned on the boys face.

"Does that mean we can't have sex?" Shin questioned, his brows knitting skeptically.

Ino resisted the urge to smack her forehead.

"Yeah…sorry but…maybe next time?" Ino lied and watched as his face twisted into anger and disappointment. Without another word she sat up quickly.

"Please excuse me while I go wash up" the blonde said politely as she squeezed out of the small booth. She had to make her escape before Shin started one of THOSE rants. Judging from his personality Shin was the type of guy who would bitch about not getting what he wanted. He was probably physical too (Although Ino could take him on any day…).

With the click of her heels Ino made her way to the ladies room. She pushed open the swinging door to reveal that the whole place was unoccupied. Humming a small tune she placed her purse on the marble counter and pulled out her compact to apply her makeup. She popped the lid off her mascara and held the compact close to her face. As she gently leaned onto the counter, brushing her upper lash; Ino spotted something in the mirrors reflection.

Her eyes suddenly widened and before she could make out a scream a cloth was shoved forcefully into her mouth. The blonde tried to struggle free but the strange odor that filled her nostrils was intoxicating and she felt her knees buck from underneath her.

It wasn't long before her eyelids drifted shut and she gave into the darkness…

4 hours and 17 minutes…

A sigh of relief escaped Shikamaru's lips when he spotted the familiar welcoming gates of Konoha. The more he thought of his comfortable bed the faster he wanted to get there. When the four teens reached the gate Hinata explained that she and Shino would go report to the Hokage. After listening to Lee's elongated peppy talk about how happy he was that the mission had gone by flawlessly Shikamaru turned around to make his way home.

"Shikamaru-kun!" A frantic cry called from behind him. Surprised to hear the voice the boy turned around curiously.

"Yamanaka-san?" He questioned as he stopped and waited for the woman to catch her breathe. The boy couldn't help but feel that something was wrong…

"Have you seen Ino?" The older woman asked when she finally calmed herself. Shikamaru could tell that she had been searching for her daughter for a good while now judging from the sweat glistening on her face.

"Um…no, I just got back from a mission…is something wrong?"

Ino's mother held her hand in front of her mouth in a contemplative silence and her eyes grew heavy with worry.

"Well, maybe I'm just jumping to conclusions but Ino has been missing since this morning. She told me she was going to be at Sakura's this afternoon until you get back from your mission. I ran into Sakura's mother earlier and she said that Ino hasn't been over today so I got a little worried…"

Shikamaru frowned. He couldn't believe Ino would go and worry her mother like this!

"I'm sure she's just out around town or something…" he thought as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. Ino's mom bit her lip.

"I know…but…I can't shake this feeling that something has happened to her…"

With another glance at the worried expression on the woman's face Shikamaru sighed.

"I'll go look for her Yamanaka-san, you look like you could use some rest" Shikamaru offered with a forced smile. The woman's eyes lit up a bit.

"Are you sure? I don't want to be a bother…"

The raven haired boy shook his head.

"It's fine, I was going to go look for Ino anyways" he lied and gave her a small smile.

The older woman took his hand in hers.

"Oh! Would you? That would be so kind of you!" she smiled and thanked him repeatedly.

Shikamaru forced another smile and when he finally got the woman to go back home he reluctantly headed to the direction opposite of his intentional destination.

Crap…why does Ino have to be so damn troublesome?!

3 hours and 3 minutes…

"…This is really pointless...Ino's probably on a date right now..." Shikamaru grumbled after asking Kiba if he had seen her today. The dog lover said he had not and asked Shino who was training behind him. The stoic boy shook his head and once again Shikamaru's leads went dead.

The chunin had searched for her at all the regular places but to no avail he couldn't even find a bit of information on her.

"Mrphh—Ee-no?" Naruto managed to say through his mouth full of ramen. Shikamaru winced at the messy sight before him. The genki ninja rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Nuh uh, can't say I have seen her. What about you Hinata?" Naruto asked as he turned to the girl eating her ramen politely by his side. Hinata wiped her mouth with a napkin before shaking her head.

"I'm sorry Shikamaru-san, I haven't seen her ever since we left Konoha" Hinata replied regretfully. She observed the boy before adding "I guess you didn't find much sleep huh?"

Shikamaru scowled grumpily and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"No…I've been looking for the troublesome woman ever since I got back…" he frowned and Hinata giggled.

"Well I hope you find her soon then"

Shikamaru gave a quick nod.

"Yeah, thanks you two…" he mumbled before turning to leave.

"Tell us if you find her! We'll help you once we finish!" Naruto suggested and without looking back the chunin waved his hand as a sign of gratitude.

Okay, so the fact that no one in this area has seen Ino means that she probably went off to the other side of town where she would go unrecognized. Or rather, where she could have a fling with a guy without people finding out…

With his newly acquired theory Shikamaru went on his way.

2 hours and 30 minutes…

(In a disclosed location)

"How is she?" A shadowy figure asked anxiously as it paced back and forth in the small room. The boy beside him frowned.

"Still out, I guess the stuff we made was a little too strong…although I didn't think a skilled kunoichi like her would be this easy to capture…"

The figure fidgeted nervously and his glasses gleamed from the small sunlight that seeped through the broken windows.

"I…I don't think this is a good idea…"

The taller figure frowned.

"Don't tell me you're backing out now…Look, you said yourself she wouldn't notice you unless something drastic happens"

"B-Bu-But I didn't mean it like th-this!"

A sigh escaped the other boy's lips.

"Just chill, the damage has been done. You can't turn back half-assed now"

The smaller, meeker figure swallowed hard and glanced at the gorgeous blonde lying unconscious in the corner.

"Y-Yeah…you're right…"

Around the same time with our 'Hero'…

"Excuse me, have you seen a blonde haired kunoichi with her hair tied in a ponytail and wearing a purple sleeveless top with a matching skirt?"

Shikamaru waited for the group of girls to answer but they seemed to be occupied with something at the moment. How unusual since the last three group of girls he had asked reacted the same way…

Hn, what's with these girls today?...The chunin frowned when he recognized the familiar glazed look in their eyes.

The long black-haired girl finally snapped out of her reverie and blushed hotly.

"U-Um, no…I haven't…" she said shyly and averted her eyes to the ground.

Shikamaru raised a clueless brow.

"Bu-But if you'd like I'd--"

"Thanks for your time…" he muttered bluntly, not realizing that the girl was trying to say something. Without another word he continued his tiring search.

The girls watched with lust as the boy left soundlessly and paused again to ask a merchant a few yards away. They all turned towards one another until they met each others eyes.

Shikamaru's ears picked up some sort of high pitched squealing but brushed the sound away. He had other things to deal with and that included finding his very troublesome teammate.

"Gah, I probably have the worst luck ever…" The shadow user groaned and continued to run his eyes over the crowded street.

"Hey man didn't you have a date with that blonde chick this afternoon?"

For some reason that one sentence caught Shikamaru's attention and he turned towards his right to where a group of guys stood talking in a small alleyway.

"Who, the Yamanaka bitch?"

The chunin narrowed his eyes but said nothing as he made his way towards the group.

"Bitch?? Hahaha! What happened Shin? She dump you?" A tall blonde laughed as he brought his cigarette to his lips. The boy referred to as 'Shin' scowled and crossed his arms over his chest.

He turned his head away ignorantly.

"Whatever man, she just refused to have sex with me…"

At the comment the other boys howled with laughter causing Shin to sulk further.

"Shut the hell up! She probably wasn't even worth it anyway, I heard that she's just a slut who's looking for a good fuck so I decided to date her"

As he listened Shikamaru was unaware of the fact that his fists were clenched tightly at his sides.

"Aw man, that's harsh. But she was a total babe…how I'd like to have shown her a few of my moves…" the blonde licked his lips and tapped his cigarette, watching as the ashes fell to the floor.

The sound of footsteps made the group of boys turn around.

Shikamaru stood in front of the group, his expression as blank as ever.

"Who the hell are you?" Shin asked as he glared at the boy. The newcomer remained unfazed.

"I'm looking for a girl…her name's Yamanaka Ino and I hear she was last seen with you…" the chunin spoke calmly.

Shin and his goons eyed the head band tied to the boys sleeve and they grimaced.

"Don't think cuz you're a shinobi we'd show you some respect" One of the younger boys spoke up. Shikamaru scratched his head carelessly.

"I'm not here to pick a fight, I just wanna know if you've seen her...you were with her last right?" he yawned and stuffed a hand in his pocket.

Shin smirked, somehow irked by this guys laid back attitude.

"Yeah, I know where she's been last but that doesn't mean I'm going to tell you" he snorted and watched the guy cautiously. Was this guy really a shinobi? He didn't even look like he could throw a proper punch.

The chunin inwardly groaned. Damnit…something told him these idiots couldn't be of help so easily. Someone out there must enjoy watching him go through these troublesome circumstances…

Shikamaru sighed.

"Look, just answer the question and we can all get on with our lives…" he frowned and slouched lazily.

Shin smirked again.

"Oh yeah? What're you going to do if I don't?"

Shikamaru's eyes slowly drifted from the sky to meet the boy's confident face.

He smirked.

2 hours and 3 minutes…

"GAHHHH! GAHHHHHHHHHH! ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT! I'LL TELL YOU!!"

Shikamaru smirked.

"Hn. I didn't think a guy like you would be scared of heights" he commented lazily as he stood atop a roof overlooking his 'masterpiece'.

Shinichi and his cronies were currently strung upside down by their feet on an electric pole wire. Shin tried his best to break free but the wires encircling his body proved to be quite a challenge. The brunette scowled at the laid back boy.

"You know what? Fu--k you! I'm not going to tell you anything!"

The crying pleas from his friends begged to differ.

Shikamaru sighed.

"Alright then…" he said calmly and with a flick of his wrist sent something flying towards the group of delinquents.

Shin paled when he recognized the slip of paper on his face.

"GRAAH!! OI SHIN! JUST TELL HIM ALREADY!" the tall blonde hanging beside him cried as he struggled to get the explosive tag off his face.

"And just to prove that I'm dead serious…" Shikamaru began coolly as he stood up slowly. He let an explosive tag flutter down before the five boys, waiting for it to get a good enough distance away. The boys watched as he aimed his chakra-filled kunai at it. With another swift throw the kunai pierced the tag making it explode into bits of fire.

At the sight one of the boys began to cry and Shikamaru thought the other one had fainted.

The brunette growled as he watched the bits of paper flutter helplessly to the floor.

He closed his eyes in defeat.

"…Th-the last time I saw her was at the sushi restaurant by the weapons shop…NOW GET ME DOWN YOU BASTARD OR I'LL--HEY! HEY! WHERE THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?!" the boy screamed when he saw Shikamaru turn around casually.

The shadow possessor waved a dismissive hand.

"Don't worry, the wire can't take it much longer and before you know it--"

A snapping sound interrupted the boy's explanation and five unified cries filled the area. Shikamaru shrugged and continued on his way.

At least they had trash bags to cushion them…

1 hour and 20 minutes…

The Nara spawn scratched his head. It had been 4 hours since his search and he still had no leads to Ino. He did, however; have her belongings that the manager had found in the bathroom.

Shikamaru bit his lip. Ino wasn't one to just carelessly leave her things unattended. And the manager had said that her compact mirror had been found on the floor.

It wouldn't make sense for Ino to carelessly drop her things and just leave…(especially not without her make-up)

The shirker frowned. He hoped his hunch wasn't correct but given his intelligence level the chances were unlikely…

"Shit…"

Shikamaru stood stock still as his eyes roamed the many white envelopes in Ino's drawer. He was positive that the last time he had seen her there was half as much letters as there was now. Pulling the drawer out he dumped the contents out, scattering the letters and pictures across her desk. He was lucky that her parents were out.

With careful observation Shikamaru pulled out each bundle of pictures and he examined them one at a time. They were all random with Ino pictured at different places during different times.

But they all had one thing in common.

The shadow user sifted through the pictures a third time just to make sure.

"These pictures were ALL taken in Konoha…" he whispered and kept his eyes trained on the collage of photos in front of him.

So whoever took these obviously resides here…

Shikamaru shifted through the stack of photos once again and his fingers halted above a certain picture.

Out of curiosity he picked it up.

It was a picture from the day he and Ino had their date, the time when they had 'shared' the ice cream. In the photo Ino was blushing hotly as Shikamaru grabbed her wrist and bit into her ice cream cone.

Funny…he didn't remember this reaction from her.

Somewhere in his mind he thought that Ino- the epitome of all evil- had actually looked cute in this shot. (An embarrassed Ino was a rare sight after all…)

The words BLACKMAIL flashed before him and Shikamaru was about to pocket the snapshot until a thought crossed his mind. It happened so quickly. It felt as if the sudden realization caused his heartbeat to stop.

In a matter of seconds Shikamaru had hastily shoved the pictures back into the drawer and after placing the drawer back in the desk he made a dash for the front door.

Hushed murmurs reflected off the metal walls of the small shack. The sun had already set behind the trees a few moments ago and the stars were beginning to shine outside the small tinted window. A shuffling of feet was heard and Ino tried her best to snap out of her unconsciousness. She was on the borderline of a dream and reality. She could feel what was going on around her but she felt as if she were still asleep.

She felt so disoriented. Where was she? Hadn't she just been in the bathroom awhile ago? When did she fall asleep?

"A-ah! She's waking up!"

The blonde groaned as she sat up slowly, her head aching as if she had consumed a whole bottle of sake the night before. Her eyes fluttered open and she noticed the room pitch black sans the small candle flickering in the corner. She tried to move her hands but they were currently tied behind her back with a metal wire.

Ino shifted on the thin mattress, causing the springs to give a loud creak. As she rubbed her head she began to become aware of her surroundings. She was in a small shed with the metal walls tinted with rust. The place smelled of oil and coal.

With another groan Ino's eyes began to adjust to the sudden darkness.

She stiffened.

Before her stood three figures…

(Resuming scene from Intro…)

How could I be so stupid?! The fact that Ino was captured by this guy proves that he's dangerous! If I don't find her in time--

Shikamaru swallowed hard. He didn't want to start thinking about the 'what ifs'. He had already wasted enough of his time today. The chunin clenched his fists.

If I had to take a guess Ino should've been missing since around 4 today.

He growled. Even if he managed to find out when she had disappeared he had no idea where to find her! There was nothing he could do to pinpoint the area she was at! It would take forever to scout the whole village even WITH the help of the others.

"Damnit!" he cried as he punched the concrete building. He was currently standing on a roof in the middle of the village.

He cringed.

Why was it that despite his high IQ he couldn't even think of one strategy right now?

Why was it that when he really needed his abilities most they were of no use?

This was the first time Shikamaru had ever felt this insecure. If the situation wasn't as dire he would've laughed about how it was always Ino who managed to prove him wrong. The shadow user let out a shaky breath. He needed to calm down. He was losing focus because he kept on thinking about his mistakes. Shikamaru let out a calming sigh and closed his eyes.

He needed to clear his mind.

The sound of rustling paper brought him out of his thoughts. His face grew sour from the interruption but his eyes darted towards the direction of the noise. A single piece of paper stuck out from his jacket. With a cocked brow Shikamaru fished the letter out of his pocket. He probably stuffed one of the letters in his pocket out of hurry back at Ino's place.

Before casting the letter aside he managed to catch a glimpse of the writing.

His coal black eyes widened.

He didn't know how long he had ran or if his guess was correct but before he knew it Shikamaru was standing in front of a large run down building near the outskirts of town. He examined the dormitory carefully. The paint on the walls was beginning to chip off and some of the windows were even boarded shut. It was amazing that people actually lived here. Shikamaru scanned his surroundings quickly in spite of the fact that Konoha was now blanketed in darkness and only the glittering stars acted as his guide. He inwardly cursed and wished that he possessed the Hyuga's bloodline right now.

Before he could even take a step, an all too familiar scream pierced through the thick of the night causing his head to pivot towards the sound.

Ino!

In mere seconds Shikamaru made a break for the back alleyway until he came across a small dilapidated shack. Without a moments hesitation he flung the door open.

"Ino!" he cried in alarm, getting his kunai ready.

"I can't believe you! THAT WAS SOOO CHEAP!"

Shikamaru paused, frozen in place as he watched the scene before him.

His blonde teammate sat around a square table with cards in her hands as she glared at the burly man sitting beside her. Her glare evaporated when she spotted her friend standing at the entrance. Her cerulean orbs glanced at Shikamaru before turning to the tall teenager sitting across from her.

"See! I told you he would come!" she stated with a triumphant smirk planted on her features.

The tall boy scowled.

"You said he would find you by midnight and now it's 12:30 so no, it doesn't count" he retaliated. Ino pouted.

Shikamaru remained completely motionless and a look of bewilderment crossed his face.

"Shikamaru! Why couldn't you have found me sooner? Now I owe him fifty ryou!" Ino whined as she sulked into her seat.

The said deer boy blinked.

"Wha-WHAT THE HELL?!" he managed to choke out.

The scrawny glasses adorning boy fiddled with his hands nervously.

"H-he doesn't look too pleased Ino-san…"

Ino sat up quietly, raising her hands as a means of surrender. She maneuvered out of her seat and pushed her chair in, slowly making her way towards the boy. She crossed the dimly lit room until she stood before him.

"Luh-Look Shika…just calm down and I'll explain everything to-- you?"

The florist let out a surprised squeak when she felt the wind suddenly knocked out of her. Ino let out a gasp when she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her small waist. She gazed at him with shock.

"Sh-Shikamaru?" she managed to say when he buried his head at the base of her neck.

The three surprised men stared wide-eyed before the smallest of them stood up quietly and ushered the other two to follow. Ino didn't even notice the door closing shut, all she could think about was the soft body pressed against hers.

"You troublesome…troublesome woman!" Shikamaru breathed as he tightened his hold on the girl. Ino watched him quietly, not even sure if he knew how badly he was shaking. She felt as if he were holding on for dear life. Ino swallowed hard and fought down a blush. She had never seen Shikamaru this way. Had he really been that intent on finding her? Was the once laid back chunin she had known all her life actually acting distraught because of this, quote, "troublesome-woman-whom-I-will-never-show-sympathy-for"?

His shaking figure answered all.

Letting out a small smile she wrapped her arms around his neck, hoping to calm him down.

"I'm sorry for worrying you Shikamaru…I'm fine now…really" she whispered into his ear soothingly. She felt his shaking hands gradually come to a stop and she tightened the embrace.

Ino muffled a squeak when a force suddenly pushed her on the bed.

"Shi-Shikamaru! What're you doing?!" her face colored as she stared at the boy on top of her. He made no attempt to move.

Her face turned an even brighter shade of red and she moved to shove the boy off of her. Her hand paused when she heard his light even breaths. With careful hands she flipped the boy over onto his back.

He…he's asleep?!

Ino let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding and she brushed her bangs from her face. With a sigh she sat up on the bed, her legs tucked underneath her.

"How cute..." she smiled warmly looking at his sleeping face.

He must've been really tired…she thought as she pursed her lips together. A long moment of silence passed and she found herself drinking in his features. Shkaamaru's face had become a little rugged from the long mission. She absentmindedly brought her hand to stroke his hair. Her delicate fingertips traced his jaw line and then around his ear. Her eyes remained mesmerized as she tucked a stray hair that hung from his face in place before moving to stroke his cheek gently. Ino's fingers continued to roam down Shikamaru's face until she reached his lips and she traced them delicately with her thumb.

Shikamaru's steady breathing was like a siren's song. It had an affect on her and she felt as if she was getting pulled in every time his chest rose and fell in sync with his breathing. She knew if she didn't stop now the siren's song would surely pull her towards her 'death'.

She didn't know what had possessed her to do her next move. Perhaps it was her tiredness kicking in or even how happy she felt to finally see him again.

Ino didn't realize how close her face had gotten to Shikamaru's. Her eyes trained on his inviting lips as his warm breath fanned her cheeks. Something in her head was telling her to retreat but she ignored it. He looked so peaceful. The moonlight reflected off his features so she could make out his sleeping face and she sucked in a breath.

Ever so slowly she closed her eyes and closed the gap between them.

It was a slow and chaste kiss that lasted less then five seconds but had made something stir in the pit of Ino's stomach.

Realizing what she had just done she pulled away quickly and awareness finally retrned. The florist let out a small gasp and covered her mouth as her face turned a brighthshade of pink.

She felt her heart skip a beat as she watched Shikamaru continue to sleep; unaware of what she had just done to him.

Swallowing hard she clutched at her chest, hoping to stop the erratic heart beats drumming loudly within her. With extra delicateness she traced the lingering sensation with her forefinger.

Her lips parted.

"Uh oh…"

"Umm Mr. Yamanaka sir?"

Said Yamanaka turned to face the team ten member.

"Yes Chouji?"

"Shouldn't we be searching for Ino right now?" the boy suggested as he walked with the man towards Shikamaru's house. Inoichi waved a dismissive hand.

"Oh it's fine, just let Shikamaru handle it" the man replied confidently as he watched the glittering night sky. Chouji had to wonder if Inoichi had gone insane. He was actually that confident that Shikamaru would find her? The boy nodded meekly when Inoichi gave him a look but couldn't help the worry that was eating away at him.

"So uh, are you really going to do this? I don't think Shikamaru and Ino will be happy about it…" the chip lover spoke as he opened the door to Shikamaru's house (Shikato and Yoshino were currently at the Yamanaka's).

Ino's father nodded.

"Yes I'm sure boy, just go get Shikamaru's things"

With a hesitant nod Chouji made his way up the stairs.

I really don't think this is a good idea…

The food lover crossed the hallway and made his way into his friend's room, he casually flicked on the lights and examined the area. At least there wasn't much stuff to move…

Chouji headed toward Shikamaru's bed and by accident bumped into the shogi board causing the pieces to scatter across the floor. The boy sighed and reluctantly knelt down to pick up the pieces. He brought his head close to the floor to check if any had fallen under the bed. As Chouji grabbed the pieces under the mattress a white note caught his attention. Curiously, he extended his arm and grabbed the folded paper that was lying next to the wall.

Chouji got to his feet quickly and looked at the folded piece of paper, debating on whether he should take a peek or not. He shrugged. It wasn't like Shikamaru had any secrets to hide anyways…

With his final words of reassurance Chouji opened up the note.

Reading the top of the note his thought process immediately came to a halt.

Tsuzuku...

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