A/N:

So I'm trying to make these updates longer, and I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I'm not sure what it will hold yet, but I'll try to make it good.

Anyways I'd like to acknowledge all my reviewers and just let you know how wonderful you all are. I'm glad you're enjoying my little story.

Anyways R&R everybody!

:)


...

Ino twisted her hair around her finger, her eyes staring intensely out the front window of the shop. She had been up since six o'clock in the morning puking her guts out, and she wasn't in the mood to wait there any longer. Shikamaru had decided as he walked her home last night that he would pick her up at 8 a.m., and it was now almost 10:30. With a huff she pushed herself away from the counter and grabbed her sandals, tapping them against the ground before making her way to the door. She locked the shop up and flipped the sign from 'Yes, we're open!' to 'Sorry! we're closed!'.

"Shikamaru!" Ino called, knocking on his apartment door.

She frowned when no answer came, and decided that she would have to open it herself. To her surprise it wasn't even locked at all, and she walked in and looked around. She grimaced at all the clothes laying on the ground, obviously he just stripped down right when he entered the door. From her estimation the clothes, probably 10 pairs, had been used and reused without wash. She frowned as she started to pick up each item as she made her way through the living room.

As she cleaned more and more of Shikamaru's house became discernible. He had a fold out futon/bed and a small coffee table in the center of the room facing toward the door, and a large bookcase that was jam packed with various books, scrolls, and loose leaf papers stuck haphazardly wherever they would fit. She smiled as she approached it, and reached out to start organizing.

Ino knew she had a problem, cleaning was a compulsion she must have inherited from her father, but really to go to her teammate's house and clean it without asking...she knew she just couldn't leave it as is.

First, she pulled all of the papers, books, and scrolls out and separated them into their own individual piles. According to size and title she placed them in their various groups. Then, she began putting them back on the shelf. As she was rifling through the books she found that some of them were in different languages. How did he read them anyway? Did he speak very many different languages? Ino bit her lip as she tried to remember ever hearing him talk about it but of course she couldn't. He must not of ever told anyone.

"That's kind of strange.." She mumbled to herself as she reached for a book wrapped in brown paper.

She smiled deviously, her face practically split in half.

"What kind of book is this anyway? Some kind of perverted sexual fantasy manga from Jiraya-sama?"

She felt a chill run up her spine as she grabbed the binding, like a naughty child who found their hidden birthday presents. She suspected it to be some strange and awkward ordeal, but she felt strangely excited to see what it was that Shikamaru liked. As she flipped open the hardback cover her jaw fell slack, and the brown paper slipped off the book to reveal the title.

"Love the Little Things, a complete work of do's and dont's for dads to be?" She whispered as she read the title.

Ino felt a swelling in her chest, and prickly tears started to form on the edge of her eyes as she put the book back in its paper cover. She placed it on the shelf, as she did with the rest, but her eyes never left that brown covered book.

"Why does he have that kind of book anyways?" She mumbled, standing up and dusting off her knees. She wiped her tears and looked around, spotting a small closet just a few feet away. Curious, she walked over and reached for the knob. She sighed and looked at the floor, covered in dirt from probably months of no sweeping. And so it began that Ino sweeped, dusted, and mopped his living room. Which she was glad he kept all of the necessary supplies handy in his linen closet at the beginning of the hall.

"His mother must come and clean for him, I wonder why she let it get so dirty?" She mumbled, walking in to the kitchen.

She gasped at horrible amount of dirty dishes in his sink, and gagged on the smell as she walked closer.

"That needs to be scorched with fire, not washed!" She said, grabbing one of the dirty plates with a gloved hand. She held it up to the light, just as she thought; mold, mildew, and roaches. Her least favorite things in the world. She sighed as she emptied the sink.

"A woman's work is never done." She mumbled, filling the sink with soapy water.


Shikamaru woke to the sound of running water, his eyes fluttering open and squeezing shut again. He scowled at the ray of sunlight that had snuck its way though the crack of the curtain, and threw a tan arm over his face.

"Ugghhhhhhhhhh." He groaned, sitting up on the edge of his bed.

He reached one hand up to scratch his head, and the other down to adjust his morning wood. He scratched the inside of his leg, and adjusted his boxers as he stood, walking to the bathroom. Squinting at the sudden increase of light he eyed his 5 o'clock shadow in the mirror, scratching his chin before walking to the toilet to release the pressure in his bladder. He scowled at his half erection, tucking it back into his underpants before walking towards his bedroom door.

The sound of rushing water was more clear now, and he could hear someone softly mumbling. He opened his door and walked into the living room with half lidded eyes.

"Mom, how many times have I told you not to break into my-!" As he rounded the corner his voice hitched in his throat, and he watched as a wave of blonde hair swung towards him.

"S-Shika...I..I-you didn't come by so I was worried and came by and it was dirty and-" Ino stopped talking when she realized she was rambling, her cheeks burning red in embarrassment.

Shikamaru stared at her for a moment, then he glanced around the corner into the living room. It was spotless.

"What time is it? How long have you been cleaning?"

"It's been around two hours- it's almost one."

He looked at her with highbrows, "Oh..I'm sorry, I must've over slept."

As he looked at her he noticed her blush hadn't faded, and he suddenly felt self conscious. He followed her eyes up towards his body and remembered he was wearing only boxers.

"Uhm, just let me get dressed and we can go."

Ino tore her eyes away from him and nodded her head, "Ok, I'll finish up here too."


Ino smiled up at Shikamaru as he entered the room, noticing that today he wore just a tight black shirt and some old worn-out-at-the-knee jeans. She was glad for the change, and that she had also chose to wear something more civilian today.(Although she hadn't worn any sort of ninja uniform in quite some time.) She stood when he stopped in front of the coffee table, tugging at her lavender top and straightening her white leggings.

"Where do you want to go?" He asked as they walked out his front door(that he didn't bother to lock).

"I don't know,"Ino said quietly, peeking over at him from behind her blonde bangs."Let's just walk around until we find something to do."

She watched him nod in agreement, and she turned her eyes to the path in front of them. She kicked pebbles that were in her way, and as they walked the silence stretched between them.

"So-"

"So-"

They both started at the same time, laughing nervously as they looked away from each other. Ino covered her mouth with a pale hand and giggled.

"What were you going to say?" Shikamaru asked, the smile still tugging at the corner of his lips.

Ino felt her chest begin to warm before answering, "No you tell me."

Shikamaru sighed and shrugged. "I wasn't really going to say anything important, I just thought it was kind of weird for you not to be talking."

Ino punched his arm playfully and pouted.

"Hey, I don't talk that much...anymore."

Shikamaru chuckled and nodded. "Anymore being the key word."

They both laughed at that, a comfortable silence stretching between them. They rounded the corner of Shikamaru's street, heading toward the center of town. Ino smiled and swung her arms in the wind. She couldn't even remember a time when she had felt this comfortable...this..content.

'It's been a long time since we've really just talked...if we ever have..' She thought as she looked over at him, he was looking back at her too.

"So what were you going to say, really?"" He asked, looking at her curiously.

She waved a hand at him dismissively, then changed her mind.

"I was going to ask,'when did you learn like five different languages?' I saw the books on your shelf."

"I dont know, a while back." Shikamaru shrugged, a very noncommittal gesture.

Ino smiled over at him, her eyes glazed in thought. "Oh.. you never mentioned it, but I guess you don't really say too much anyways."

She watched from the corner of her eye as he scowled for just a moment.

"Sorry," He finally said, "I guess I got that from dad."

Ino felt sobered by that statement, and she thought that maybe this conversation was making its way into a dark place, a place she really didn't want to be in anymore. So therefore she devised a plan, operation distraction.

She looked around at the numerous stalls that lined the street and grabbed his arm, pulling him forward towards one of the little quioscks.

"Oh look at that Shikamaru!" She exclaimed, reaching out for a miniature shinobi uniform.

She smiled at it and held it out, her face practically breaking in half.

"Oh I just need this so bad." She told the clerk, who smiled back at her warmly.

She was an older woman who Ino had never seen before, with wrinkles beside her eyes and mouth, and a shock of white hair that bounced with large curls.

"It's only 490 yen, should I gift wrap it?" The woman said,"I also have different colors and even a kunoichi's outfit too, for a girl."

Ino looked over at Shikamaru expectantly, and smiled as he sighed.

"Only 490 yen, huh?" He asked, reaching into his pocket for his wallet."Okay, but only one, Ino."

She smiled at the clerk, victory was hers.

"Please do gift wrap it for me."

The woman nodded and looked up at Ino with smiling eyes, "Is it for you or a friend?"

"It's for me." Ino nodded, not sure why she was telling a stranger.

"Oh, then you're expecting? I couldn't tell. How far along are you?"

Ino blushed, feeling well complimented and fuzzy inside. "W-well I'm just around two and a half months now."

The woman looked at her with wide eyes, her mouth agape."And you know the sex of the baby?"

Ino's blush deepened and she turned her eyes away from the woman, they landed on Shikamaru's worn out sandals.

"W-well, no-"

The woman cut her off, turning away from her and grabbing a similar outfit that she had picked out, only it had a skirt instead of pants.

"Then here take this one too, on the house!" The woman beamed at her as she packaged it with the other outfit. "You never know, you might need them both."

Behind Ino, Shikamaru coughed, choking on his own spit.


Shikamaru watched her hair sway as she moved in front of him, swinging the package as she walked along.

'Might need them both she says, humph.' He thought to himself, his eyes traveling down from her swinging ponytail, to her swaying buttocks. He blushed and looked away, his eye catching a ice cream stand. He felt his stomach rumble and realized that it was almost three o'clock and he had yet to eat a thing.

She must've heard his stomach.

"Are you hungry?"Ino suddenly asked, turning around so fast that Shikamaru ran into her.

He reached out and caught her to steady them both, his hands wrapping around her hips. Their faces were inches apart, and he could feel her warm breath caressing his lips. He immediately took a step back and righted them both, but his hands were still firmly grasping her hips.

Ino smiled up at him, and he felt like the air in his lungs would make him explode. He felt a little disappointed when she pulled away and started to walk towards Ichiraku's, He followed without a word. They sat down on the stools in front of the bar with their elbows bumping together. She laughed nervously and placed a hand on her stomach.

Teuchi leaned against the counter and smiled at Shikamaru with a nod, turning towards Ino he spoke, "What will it be today, Yamanaka-chan?"

She blushed at the suffix, her index finger tapping her chin.

"Just the vegetable mix over noodles I suppose, my stomach is feeling a bit strange today."

Teuchi nodded and turned to walk behind the curtain and start on both of their orders.

Shikamaru looked over at her when he was gone and with concern asked,"Should I take you home? Are you not feeling well?"

Ino shook her head with a small smile, "I'm fine, don't worry about me."

"Is it the baby?" He whispered, leaning over to see her stomach better.

Her eyebrow twitched as she looked over at him, and she gave him a glare that could've sent enemy shinobi running for the hills.

"What else would it be?" She said, her voice laced with annoyance.

They stopped talking when Teuchi reappeared with their orders, but as they ate Shikamaru couldn't keep his eyes off of her stomach.

When they had finished eating Shikamaru stood, holding the curtain back so she could exit, and he waved goodbye to the man behind the counter.

They immediately started walking towards Ino's apartment, even though they didn't say a word. They walked through the front of the shop and he stopped to watch Ino lock the glass door before heading up to the second floor. He followed her to the kitchen and sat on the other side of the table, glancing over at the window behind the kitchen sink. The sky was getting dark outside, turning different shades of; blue, orange, and pink. He sighed wistfully at the grey clouds in the distance, barely discernible from the pine and oak trees.

He tore his eyes away from the window and glanced up at Ino, who was leaning over in front of him pouring him a cup of tea. He nodded at her as she sat back down, and started to think of things that he could say to her. After all he had spoiled stage two of his plan by sleeping late, you know...the responsibility stage. But perhaps he could make it up to her in a different way, he wasn't sure just how he would do that yet though. He was saved from the trouble of trying to strike up a conversation by her, because she was already speaking to him. He wondered how long had she been talking before he noticed.

"-anyways, are you working tomorrow?" She asked, leaning forward while resting her hands in her lap.

Shikamaru sighed and nodded,"Yes, I'll be at the academy all day tomorrow." He leaned back and scratched his head, messing his ponytail. "Tomorrow the kids will be practicing their Bunshin no Jutsu."

Ino laughed, holding her stomach. She threw her head back, snorting softly with every intake of breath. Shikamaru stared at her in confusion, and when she had finished she wiped the tears away from her eyes.

"Sorry, I was just remembering when Naruto made that sick looking shadow clone." She giggled as she placed her elbows on the table.

Shikamaru chuckled, setting his teacup down on the table. With a glance at the window he realized how dark it had gotten, and he sighed as he excused himself.

"I guess I should go, if I want to get any sleep tonight." He watched her smile falter as she also stood.

"Oh, is it that late?"

He walked towards the door, and listened to her soft footfalls behind him. He turned toward her and smiled sheepishly, leaning against the door frame. She looked up at him with big shining eyes, and before he knew what was happening she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. He felt the blush rise on the bridge of his nose, and he rubbed his fingers together nervously in his pockets. It happened so fast that he didn't really have time to react, and when she took a step back he thought about grabbing her and kissing the hell out of her, but something inside of him told him to wait.

Ino peered up at him with a small smile and rubbed her lips with the back of her hand.

"Your beard is itchy." She mumbled, almost too quiet for him to hear.

Shikamaru rubbed his neck and mumbled an apology. Turning sideways as he opened the door and stepped out. Before he could think over the words.. they spilled from his lips, leaving him slightly embarrassed.

"When can I see you again?" He asked, his back to her.

He turned to face her when he heard her step out too, and he came breast to breast(or as close as they can be when he is a head and a half taller) with her.

"You don't have to go."

She looked up at him, and he just wanted to capture her lips with his own, but still he held back. Even when she embraced him in a hug, and leaned up to kiss his chin he still didn't kiss her, and when she told him to stay the night he didn't move. But he let her lead him back into the house, and even to her bedroom where he undressed to his boxers and laid down with her because she didn't want to be alone tonight.

And when she kissed him on his lips he kissed her back feverishly, like it might be the last time.

"Is this alright?" He asked quietly, his fingers curling around her hair in desperation.

"Why wouldn't it be?" She whispered, her hands snaking up his chest and around his neck.

Shikamaru closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and everything else seemed to fade away as he fell asleep..


So If you see any mistakes please let me now. Next chapter should be up in a few days, who knows. :)

Leave a review and tell me what you think.