"Girl on my doorstep"

recap:

She looked down at the baby in uncertainty.

End of recap...

Ino's hands clamped firmly against her umbrella as she watched Chouji back out of the parking lot, waving at her to go ahead. She turned on her heel and gulped, looking up at the apartment complex that seemed to be looming over her. She took a step towards it. One, two, seven. Then she looked up at the stairs. This most certainly was the hardest thing she had ever done in her life. What was she going to do when she got to his door? Tell him that she was so in love with him? PFT! Ino snorted in discontent. There was no way in hell he felt the same, and even if he did...would he admit it?

Ino sighed as she stepped forward, her foot sliding against the soaking black metal stair case. Her heart almost stopped.

"Maybe I should hold the rail." She said to the baby, looking down at his smile and feeling a small one curve at the edge of her lips.

Ino shifted the baby into the arm that held them umbrella, her eyebrows furrowing as she held the rail with the other hand.

The wind and rain pelted against her legs harshly, sending an involuntary shiver up her spine. I can't do this. She thought, looking back, but Chouji was no longer there. She couldn't very well leave, not if she wanted to live to see daylight. Ino scowled and hurriedly made her way to the top of the stairs, her eyes clenched tightly shut as she felt along the brick wall, her fingers scraping against it uncomfortably. But she was already uncomfortable.

She pulled her jacket closer to her body, and shifted the baby back over to her free hand.

Her stomach did a somersault, a back flip and felt like beetles were crawling around in her throat. She gulped.

Ino walked up to the black door, the little white , L.E.D light illuminating the address. Funny, She thought as she looked at the peep hole. I never noticed that.

Ino reached up into the umbrella and shook it off, then folded it up and stuck it under her arm, her eyes resting on the door with a challenging glare.

Glaring at a door Ino, She thought to herself as she brought her hand up to the surface and let her knuckles hit against it a few times softly. Oh well! She thought after a few seconds, guess he isn't home. Ino pulled her coat closer and adjusted the strap of her duffel bag, before turning slowly on her heel. She looked at the corner, her stomach churning in a sickly manner.

But it was at that moment that she heard the chain slide from the lock, and the turning of the knob brought her to the face of a brown eyed boy, slouching against the door frame with his cigarette hanging out of his mouth, and his eyes bulging comically, before he straightened, his gaze hardening slightly.

"I-Ino." He stammered, running a hand over his shirt self consciously as she looked him over.

He was a complete mess.

Ino felt a sad smile tug at her lips.

"Yeah, that's me." She whispered, shifting Inomaru to her other hip, her other hand running over her hair, and down her pony tail, where she twirled her finger around uncertainly.

Shikamaru's face lit up slightly, but his brows furrowed as if he was battling with himself.

Ino caught him looking at her duffel.

"Oh I wasn't coming just to bum a place to stay-" She said, waving her hands around madly.

Shikamaru merely looked at her, his brows furrowing even closer.

"I just- well I- Chouji had picked me up and I was just thinking that he would drop me off at Sakura's but then we went to eat at the ramen stand and-"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, but did nothing but shift the cigarette in his mouth, before frowning. "Do...you want to come in?" He asked, his feet shifting over slightly as he held the door open, he quirked an eyebrow at her as she stuttered for the right words. "Isn't that what you are hear for now?"

Ino felt guilty suddenly, and she felt the itchy scratchiness of tears as a clump of something stuck in her throat. "I- well if I'm not intruding on you then-"

Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders. "Don't got anything better to do."

Ino nodded and slipped under his arm, pushing the door back slightly as her duffel bag brushed against it. She looked down at Inomaru, who cooed happily in her arms for the first time in a week. She smiled slightly. "Where can I put my bag?" She asked, looking back at Shikamaru, who was leaning casually against the door, his eyes clouded and in some far off land.

"Well I guess you will be here for the night so you can go ahead and put it in the bedroom." He shrugged again, brushing past her as he made his way to what she presumed to be the kitchen. She turned and saw him leaning against the counter, his arm outstretched as he was grasping a cup, but he merely stood there, perfectly still with that cloudy gaze.

"A-are you okay?" She asked, slowly approaching him as he blinked and looked her way. He nodded and turned away, pushing the cabinet closed with his elbow and turning towards the refrigerator. "I'll get i-it." She stammered, grasping the cup, her fingers brushing against his own, thick tan ones.

She blinked at she felt the spark, her hand immediately pulling the cup away a little too quickly as she turned to the fridge and grasped the pitcher of ice cold tea. She poured a glass and handed it back, but he merely pushed it back to her hands. "It was for you."

Ino nodded, and pulled the cup to her chest, where she held it tightly as they looked at one another.

Suddenly she felt words pouring out of her mouth.

"I'm sorry I-" They started at the same time, both stopping and looking away with unsure eyes. Ino giggled nervously.

One of those annoying, high-pitched giggle-snorts that she did when she was nervous.

Shikamaru paid her no heed though, for he simply turned away from her with a sigh and walked toward the bedroom, not looking back at her as he walked through the door frame.

Ino scooted her feet against the tile flooring, toeing herself out of her pumas and kicking them to the wall, she laid the umbrella down on the kitchen counter and meandered over to the hall, holding Inomaru tightly in her arms, her other hand clutching the strap of her duffel.

"Can I come in?" She said meekly.

Why was she acting like this? She lived with the man for a little more than a week for god sake! This was not the time for shyness!

Ino tilted her chin up and set her eyes on him through the crack in the door.

"Yeah, I guess." He drawled lazily.

Ino watched as the end of his cigarette glowed brightly, the orange tip flickering as he spilt the ashes into a cup of water that sat on his bedside table.

She pressed through the door quietly and set her things down on the edge of the bed, simply looking him over in the dim light.

"See something you like?" He drawled sarcastically, a quizzical brow raised, and a small sad smile playing on his lips.

Ino wanted to spill her guts at that moment, but she thought it to cliche, too...used up. Instead she swallowed hard and avoided his gaze, her eyes resting on the similar Ziploc bag on the edge of the bed. She felt her chest tighten. Was he high?

She turned her head from the offending object and spotted the seven or so Coors light cans that sat on his dresser, some tipped over, one dripping it's contents onto that similar piece of fabric.

Ino reached forward and picked the can up, eyeing it thoughtfully, her eyes flickering over to meet Shikamaru's smoldering gaze.

"What?" He said, raising an eyebrow at her once again.

He was daring her. Testing to see if she would speak her mind, but she did not.

Ino shrugged. "Nothing, it was spilling." She said, digging in her coat pocket to drag out the napkin from the Ramen stand.

She quickly disposed of it in the waste basket by the bedside table.

She noticed alot of the small things she had not noticed before as she looked around the room, her eyes landing on his Christmas present, still crisp and rapped in that tacky wrapping paper she got just for giggles. It had reindeer all over it, and she had written deer boy all over it in the gaps. She felt the corners of her lips twitch.

"You didn't open it." She said, pointing to the present that sat perfectly still in the corner of the room.

"It isn't Christmas."

Ino smiled and sat down beside him, too close. Ino scooted further away uncomfortably, causing Shikamaru to tilt his head at her.

Shikamaru's eyes slanted as the bed shifted.

He looked down at Ino's hand. He was so tempted to grab it, tell her he missed her, and that she could stay as long as she needed too...as long as she wanted.

But he did not. He wouldn't. He wasn't that type of man. He wanted things to be simple, but so far things had turned out so complicated with her. He felt the bed shift again, and he looked at her as she leaned over, her hand stretched out as she gently enveloped three of his fingers with her own.

"It's almost Christmas." She said, pulling the freshly lit cigarette from his hand. "Two more days...and I don't want you coughing up tar."

Shikamaru scowled and let her take it, watching as she smelt of it with a frown. "Your strange." He mumbled, letting his head plop back onto the pillows, but he kept his eyes on her. Watching as she shifted uncomfortably, looking him over with a strange expression. The side of his mouth twitched.

"Take a picture, it lasts longer." He murmured, watching as her eyes flickered over to him, and her cheeks flared up.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me." He replied coolly, watching as her tightly wound spring started to coil more.

"Hmf!" She turned her nose up at him, and he felt his chest rise and fall as he chuckled.

"You shouldn't do that," He said, scooting over so that she would have room on the bed. "Bats in the cave."

Ino looked at him with slanted eyes, then subconsciously pulled Inomaru closer to her chest.

"Do you like repeating yourself?" She asked, looking down her nose at him.

Shikamaru laughed again. "You remember that?"

"How could I not...that was so embarrassing." She said, a smile gracing her lips as she stood up and walked towards her bag.

"Are you...you know...hungry?" He asked, sitting up as he raked his teeth over his bottom lip.

Ino crouched down and looked at him with a slightly warmer smile. "Not if it is moldy bread."

Shikamaru scowled, she knew they went to the grocery store a couple weeks ago. "I have soup."

"Okay." She laughed, pulling out a shirt and some shorts as she walked to the bathroom.

Shikamaru stood, walking to the kitchen with Inomaru in the crook of his elbow.

--

Shikamaru had the mugs ready when she came out, setting hers on the coffee table as he plopped down on the couch beside Inomaru. He watched her smile.

"Chicken noodle, my favorite." She hummed, bringing the steaming mug up to her nose for a good whiff.

Shikamaru shoveled a spoon full into his mouth, then sat the mug on the end table.

"So you never told me what you were sorry for." She said suddenly, her eyes very serious as she turned towards him. Her smile was gone.

Shikamaru leaned back against the pillows on the couch with a sigh, his head turning towards her with a similar expression. "The same could be said for you."

"Yes but I asked you first." Ino countered, a small smile tugging at her lips as he frowned.

"Fine, I'll go first." Shikamaru placed one of his feet on the ground and pulled the other up onto the couch, turning so that they were facing each other head on. "I wanted to apologize for making you leave so suddenly, when you clearly did nothing bad enough for that rash decision," He paused suddenly, as he watched her set her mug down.

"And?" She said, motioning her hand in circles. "Please continue."

"And I am an asshole."

She smiled and nodded her head. "I already knew that though."

Shikamaru felt his cheeks heat up as he looked away.

"But I was a bitch too...so really...It wasn't your fault." She said quietly, looking up at him with hopeful cerulean eyes. "I'm really sorry.."

Shikamaru just shrugged and leaned back against the couch. "It's behind us now."

Ino sighed heavily, wiping her brow in mock relief. "Well that was a heart felt experience." Shikamaru merely chuckled as he grabbed the mug from her hands, his fingers brushing against her own.

That was when he felt it.

Shikamaru jerked his hand back quickly and flushed as he walked around the corner, mentally cursing himself as his heart raced in his chest. He placed the mugs carefully in the sink then rinsed them thoroughly, before looking at her through the bar, his brows furrowing as his eyes caught the blush on her cheeks.

"It's really late." She said, standing up and walking over to the hallway. "I'll just get some sheets and pile up on the couch with the baby." She said hurriedly, walking swiftly into his room.

Shikamaru followed close behind, only a few feet from her as she turned into his closet.

Shikamaru raised a brow and walked to the entry, leaning against the door frame with worried eyes.

"No need to worry I will just grab these-" Ino said, pulling the sheets out from a pile of thick blankets without looking. She turned swiftly and ran into something hard, squeezing her eyes shut tightly.

That was when she felt it, the warm air on her nose as her eyes fluttered open. She tried to move her mouth to say sorry, but found that she couldn't, because he has pressed his lips against her own.

Ino stood frozen, her eyes wide with shock, her hands still at his shoulders, clutching them tightly as the tingling in her stomach grew more insistent.

She felt his warm hand on her hip, the other caught up in her hair as he pulled her closer, again she felt the warm air blowing against her nose.

Suddenly she was back in reality, and she wrapped one of her arms around his back to steady herself, the other pulling his hair out of the ponytail as he pulled her out of the closet and lifted her up, pressing her against the door frame roughly as he captured her lips once again in heated kiss. She wrapped her fingers up in his dark locks as he brushed his tongue against her lips, begging for entry. Ino gasped as he suddenly pressed against her, allowing Shikamaru to enter her mouth and wrap his tongue around her own. Ino smiled against his lips. He tasted like cinnamon and slightly of cigarettes, but she didn't mind.

When he pulled back for air she blinked up at him, utterly stunned as she watched his cheeks turn pink.

On the bed Inomaru giggled, wiggling around on the sheets.

How was it? Review and tell me if you want more...i need to know how to end is this the end

-ScarletLettersInTheSnow-

Special thanks to all my reviewers.

Thank you all. your all so loyal and it makes me so delighted.

disclaimer: "I don't own Naruto