"So you wanna watch a movie or something?" Ino asked as she limped to the room with the largest tv in her mansion. She considered it the ''main' room since it was where most visitors hung around and where she could catch up on her tv shows. It was also her father's favorite room in the house so it was precious to her.

"I guess." Shikamaru replied with his usual monotoned voice. He figured Ino wouldn't be up for talking that much so a movie wouldn't be the worst idea to spend his time. He didn't regret staying with Ino though, in fact it gave him peace of mind knowing he could assist her if Sasuke came around. He still wasn't quite sure what happened between them but he did know how upsetting it was for the bandaged girl walking him around her house. That's all he needed to know to stay by her side and confirm that he did not like that Uchiha.

"What's your favorite genre?" She asked once she spotted her cabinet full of films. Her parents were major film junkies back when they were still together and everything was good. Some of her best memories were watching cartoons with them on their cream sofa. From princesses to talking animals to superhero films there was always a bowl of popcorn and two hours worth of smiles. When she looked back on the movies she realized how boring they must've been to them but knowing they muscled through them for her meant the world to her. In fact every piece of her childhood was treasured.

"Doesn't really matter, I like pretty much anything." He shrugged. While he didn't care about genres he did care about the quality of films. He was extremely critical. If the acting or scriptwriting was terrible than a movie was unbearable to him. However he could watch an amazing movie twice in a row if it was up to his high standards. His dad used to joke he could be a film critic given how much he nitpicked movies.

"Well I could use some comedy, is that okay?" Ino stated as she skimmed the titles in alphabetical order. Some were so old that Ino didn't even remember they existed while others were freshly bought by her. She personally loved romances but comedies were a close second and given how miserable her day had been she really needed a good laugh.

"Go for it." He permitted and sunk into the sofa. It was the perfect blend of fluffiness and firmness which his stiff bones appreciated. He could get used to the comfort of this place.

"So you're alright with missing the rest of school? You don't have any clubs after?" The blonde asked once again. Shikamaru grunted affirmatively despite being annoyed at how frequently she asked that question. He had promised to stay with her until school was over. That meant he'd be staying with her for another three hours or more if she requested him to.

"I guess I had this tutoring thing but I can rain check it. No biggy." He shrugged. He figured Asuma was chill enough that he could get himself out of trouble. He could certainly think of some clever excuse within twenty four hours. In fact he could probably do it in twenty four minutes.

"Oh crap I had that too! Plus cheerleading practice and I promised Sakura I'd do some line reading with her. Sure the play is in a couple of months but she really needs some practice you know? I haven't been practicing as much as I should and I'm the lead for crying out loud." Ino cried much more dramatically than Shikamaru would've expected. It was no wonder she got the lead. But seriously how much did this girl do?

"Relax there's no need to be so dramatic it's just one day. I'm sure your tutoring friends, cheerleading and Sakura can manage a day without you." He sighed and waved a hand to prove his point.

He hated activities so how could someone care about them so much to get stressed out over them? It seemed rather ridiculous to him.

"But there's so much that has to be done in just one day. I don't do breaks." Ino fired back quickly. Nothing would get done without her vigilant watch and authority. Everyone knew that. That's why she overworked herself to make everyone else look good. "Maybe I could sneak back in school, Sasuke said it isn't that hard to do." She added as an afterthought. She could get back for her last two periods and then do her extracurriculars. Those were her top priority.

"No way." A monotoned voice objected from behind her. She had briefly forgotten he was sitting on her sofa when she got lost in her thoughts.

"Oh come on it isn't good to miss school." Ino whined. It was rare for someone to say 'no' to her and she didn't like it on bit. Her pursed lips and roll of her baby blue eyes made this clear to Shikamaru.

"You have a good reason." He replied coldly.

He couldn't believe how much she was jumping around on her perspective of the situation. One minute she was assuring him she was fine even after he witnessed her scraped up and petrified on the floor while he boyfriend loomed over her with no doubt only bad intentions in his mind. The next she was on the verge of tears begging him to not tell anyone about what he saw since she was terrified of what he'd do. Then she was silent on the topic as he bandaged her up. It had been her idea to wait the day out in her house and not go back to school. She had even set up a movie for them to watch to distract her. Now she trying to do that exact opposite. Yes, Ino Yamanaka was a very peculiar girl and also one that he was going to make his mission to figure out.

"Well yes I do but I can't tell that to the principal. I already told you I want this to stay between us and Sasuke. There's no way he'd confess so it's just between us. So I need to tone the damage as much as I can." She tried to reason but saw his skeptical glance only grew. In fact it was becoming more of a glare. She didn't like how his dark eyes sharpened like the point of a pencil and his lips were turned downwards in a scowl. She wondered what his problem was.

"You're not going back." He stated with more authority than she thought he possessed. Hell it was on par with hers and that was an accomplishment. Her retort was caught in the back of her throat when he stood up and crossed the room in two long strides. He had the ability to see over her head clearly yet his gaze was boring down on her instead of the deep crimson wallpaper. His hands were tucked in his pockets but she could tell they were clenched by the slight bulge.

She didn't think she was that short until he stood in front of her. How tall ishe? Maybe a solid 5'10 or 5'11 even. Probably not six feet, Sasuke is and he's taller than Shikamaru by a little. So why am I only at his shoulder? This is ridiculous. And when is he gonna stop staring at me, this is the second time. I've really got to tell him off for it.

"You're not the b-boss of me." She snapped. She promptly cursed at her stutter. She had never stuttered like that before. Sure she'd mess up a word or two during a speech or when reciting a poem from memeory but normal conversations were a breeze. So why was this so difficult?

"I know but going back is an incredibly stupid idea that I'm not going to let you do." He stated firmly. His eyes not leaving her just yet. If she was going to look him in the eye then he'd stare at her until she did. He could tell her focus was on his ear as a fake sign of eye contact.

He had to give it to her, that mask she wore was damn near indestructible. No emotion was being given off whatsoever. And she was always so full of it that it was bizarre. He hadn't known her very long but from what he had observed until very recently was that she wore her emotions on her sleeve but they were always a branch of happiness. But it was all false. Maybe the two of them weren't that different in that aspect.

"Listen Ino, I get these activities are important to you but you and I both know you're not going to enjoy them today so what's the point?" He reasoned. Ino crossed her arms like a child that just realized they were wrong after a long tantrum.

"The point isn't to enjoy them." She whispered bitterly. That hadn't been the point since freshman year.

"Then what is?"

"That's none of your business".