So this is chapter nine and I'm going to try to make it long:).
I hope you enjoy reading.
Ino stepped out of the Akimichi household with a smile, her hands squeezing her coat tightly. She held her hand out in the rain to test it, and decided that it wasn't too cold. She pulled her hood over her head and walked slowly, trying to hold onto the words he had said..
-0oOo0-
She knocked softly on the door, her hands wet and cold from walking in the rain. She hoped to Kami that Choji would be home. It was only now that she thought that she should have sent a message or even called before walking all the way across town.
Before she heard him ask,"Who is it?" she heard his heavy footfalls and was greeted by the radiating warmth of his home as he opened the door wide.
"Oh it's you." He said smiling, taking her in a warm embrace."You're freezing, please, come in." He directed her towards the kitchen, helping her take off her coat.
"I was just in the middle of making some chicken and noodles." He pulled out a chair for her to sit in at his small dining table, before returning to his cutting board.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
"Not at all, Just making dinner."
Ino smiled and made herself comfortable, she looked around the small kitchen wistfully(remembering all the times: She, Shikamaru, and Choji had run through this room). She had never noticed the hand painted butterflies that decorated the walls, or the old black and white photos on the shelves. Ino stood and walked towards them, reaching out to touch one very old photo. It was team ten before they got that name, all three laying out on a fuzzy deer skin rug. They were all stark naked and laughing happily, and Ino wished she could remember what had been so funny. She took the picture down from the shelf and brought it to where Choji stood over the stove.
"Look how happy we were, even then."
Choji smiled, handing her a steaming bowl of soup.
"Oh you shouldn't have." Ino said, taking the bowl carefully and walking to the table.
"It's no problem, my parents are out anyways."
She watched him take a seat in front of her, reaching over to pour some tea.
"So, did you come over for a reason? Or is this just your way of telling me sorry for sending me to the hospital?"
Ino felt her cheeks burning red, and she wrung her hands together under the table.
"About that-" Choji cut her off before she could finish.
"You don't have to apologize, I talked to Shikamaru."
Ino looked down at her lap, feeling embarrassed and ashamed of herself. Suddenly the tears started to spill out, and she couldn't help but cry in front of her friend. She felt his hands around her shoulders, lifting her up into an embrace, and she found that the words just spilled from her lips without her consent.
"I don't know what to d-do any m-more Choji, I can't keep him off of my mind! All I w-wanted was to p-pass on the Yamanaka bloodline, but now it's b-become more than that...I know it's w-wrong and stupid..but I don't know w-what to do." She kept on like that for a long time, Choji simply holding her as she cried.
But soon she felt him put her back down in the chair, and he slid his own over so that he could sit by her.
"Have you told him?" He asked quietly, his large hands encasing her smaller ones.
"No? How could I? He doesn't feel the same way.."
"How do you know?" He whispered quietly, his eyes soft and reassuring, "I don't think he would accept such a big offer if he didn't have any feelings at all, I think you both are a little confused, but you should tell him as soon as you can."
Ino nodded, that did make some sense- didn't it? She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and she took up her chopsticks and began to eat. They made idle small talk after, not touching the subject anymore(for which Ino was thankful, because Choji's parents arrived not too long after).
Before she left Choji gave her a hug, telling her not to worry about a thing, and that he would have a talk with Shikamaru whenever he saw him( and of course he wouldn't bring up that he had seen Ino). She smiled and thanked him, and walked out feeling much better than she had walked in.
-0oOo0-
One week later, Ino found herself curled around a toilet bowl throwing up all the contents of her stomach, tears pouring from her eyes..
Shikamaru walked with his hands shoved deep in his pockets, eyes trained on the ground in front of him. He smiled to himself as he rounded the corner and the Yamanaka Flower Shop came into view.
It had been a week since that rainy night when he realized just what he wanted, and the preparations had been set in place. His plan was now in motion. First step of his brilliant strategy: Conversation. Contrary to popular belief, Shikamaru wasn't as lazy as he pretended to be(or at least with things that he cared about). The whole week he had made the preparations and drew up alterations just incase things were to go awry(Which when Ino is involved it is sure to happen).
As he neared the shop he stopped, adjusting his ponytail and his vest. He flicked his spent cigarette into the gutter and wiped the drops of perspiration from his brow. As he reached for the door he mustered up one of his best looks of boredom, and stepped through the threshold. Immediately the scent of flowers struck him like a ton of bricks, and he crinkled his nose at the intoxicating aroma. He didn't know too much about flowers, but he guessed that the scent of roses was the most potent of this colorful cocktail. He hated roses. With a sigh he walked to the counter and leaned against it heavily. Where was Ino? And why was the front open if she wasn't around to tend to it?
Shikamaru waited patiently for the next five minutes, but curiosity got the better of him. He peered behind the counter at the stairs that lead up to Ino's apartment. There wasnt a sound to be heard, so he walked to the door and flipped the sign to closed before making his way up. He gripped the rail of the stairs tightly, his eyes wandering up to the lingering darkness above him. Still no sound, which was unusual for such a loud woman. As he neared her bathroom door he heard a whimper, followed by the sound of someone wretching quietly.
"Ino?" He called out, wrapping his knuckles against the door.
He heard shuffling and the sound of a toilet flushing, but no answer.
"Oi, Ino." He called a bit louder, jiggling the handle. "It's me, let me in."
"Just a minute." She said weakly, making Shikamaru's heart pound in his ears.
After a few moments he started to feel anxious.
"Are you alright?" He jiggled the handle more persistently, and found himself coming face to face with her.
"Shika!" She said in surprise, taking a step back.
"Are you sick?" His eyes traveled to her stomach, where her pale hands rested on it protectively.
There was no sign of a bump as she was only around one month pregnant, but Shikamaru was mesmerized. He felt like he was being pulled toward her, but he took a step back and looked up into her eyes.
She was staring at him with her eyebrows knotted up, but she sighed and stepped out of the bathroom. "It's nothing to worry about, just morning sickness."
Shikamaru nodded, the knot in his stomach releasing itself in relief.
They made their way from her bathroom to the shop, and she turned to him as she neared the counter. She watched him carefully as she wrapped her apron around her stomach and tied it securely. He pushed his hands into his pockets, and she leaned on the counter. The silence between them started to stretch uncomfortably, and Ino was the first to break it.
"What are you doing here Shikamaru?" She said quietly, averting her eyes as he turned towards her.
He didn't answer her for a long moment, but instead scooted his feet across the floor. He looked like he was trying to figure out what to say, and that was just fine with Ino.
"Well I guess I came by to take you up on that coffee offer," He rubbed his neck and gave her a shrug. "If it still stands."
Ino felt her lips curl into a smile, and she nodded her head slowly.
"Yeah it still stands, come on."
She walked to the kitchen without looking back, knowing that he would follow her. And as she poured the coffee grinds into the filter she turned to him and told him to take a seat at the table. She poured the water in and listened to the wooden chair screech against the tile as he took his seat.
There was something different about Shikamaru today, she knew. He had a strange look about him, and he moved in an unusual way. He wasn't slouching like normal, and his normally messy ponytail was combed nice and neat. She knew him long enough to know that he didn't care much about his appearance, and it was strange to see him so trim and proper.
"What made you decide to come by?" She said softly, not meaning to be so quiet.
She cleared her throat and repeated herself louder, and she brought him a cup of steaming unsweetened coffee. He always liked bitter things.
"I'm off today." He said simply, taking a sip of the coffee before setting it back on the table.
"Oh." She mumbled, fingering the rim of her cup.
She had hoped for a different reason, like maybe telling her he had feelings for her...
She was lost in thought and didn't hear him get up to put his cup in the sink, but when he sat back down she jolted (which made him chuckle).
"Do you want to take the day off?" He asked her, his eyes fixated on her own.
She felt the heat rise up in her cheeks and she tried to hide it with her coffee. She bit her lip, watching him carefully over the rim of her mug. Why was he suddenly so interested in seeing her? They hadn't been close for years, and now suddenly after their little...'exchange'...he suddenly wanted to spend time together. She remembered a time not so long ago that he would tell her to make herself busy, to go on and leave him alone because she was troublesome. Ino smiled behind her mug.
"What did you have in mind?"
Shikamaru looked over at his old teammate with a smile, he couldn't remember the last time they had been together like this(except Choji was usually there too). He leaned back into the grass and licked his ice cream again, liking the way the sun danced on Ino's blonde hair.
She leaned back and shifted so their arms were touching, and Shikamaru felt his ears burn as she turned to him..
"What are you doing tomorrow?"
Shikamaru smiled and looked up at the blue sky, dotted with puffy white clouds.
"I think I'll take the day off.."
So tell me what you think..did you like it?
Leave a review.
If you find any errors tell me and I'll fix them! :)