A/N: Well I said I would upload the ShikaHina alternate ending and here it is! Sorry for the long wait, I doubt anyone would read it but I wanted to complete it and upload it. For anyone who does read it I hope that you enjoy it.
-x-x-x-
Shikamaru stared at Ino and Chouji currently making out like the world was getting ready to end. Ever since Chouji lost his weight Ino has been glued to him like adhesive glue. Hell, she even broke up with him to get with Chouji before "another girl claims Chouji as her own". And just like that he had been dumped. Of course the lazy haired male didn't appear to care very much but he had been hurt by it. "So troublesome…" He sighed.
Chouji chuckled nervously, "I'm sorry is this bothering you, Shikamaru?" The chestnut brown haired male asked.
His dark eyes gazed over at Ino who were also staring at him curiously as well, with those bright blue eyes he had once fallen for. "No, it's fine" Seeing my best friend making out with my ex-girlfriend, why would that bother me? He thought sarcastically. He stuffed his hands deep into his jean pockets.
Chouji smiled as he pulled away from Ino, "Maybe we should stop. We have been kissing for a while." He exclaimed.
"Fine, I guess we can." Ino pouted as she reluctantly let go of him. She looked over at the flower stand, "Oh! Look at those flowers. Chouji come on, you should buy me one!" Before he even had a chance to give her a reply, Ino had dragged him off I the direction.
The lazy haired male groaned, "So troublesome…" He mumbled once more.
"Shikamaru, is that you?"
The black haired froze as he slowly turned around at face the voice that called out to him. It was none other than Hyuga Hinata, she looked…incredibly. She was wearing just a plain white shirt and blue jeans, looking very easy breezy and comfortable. Her hair that he had known to be long in high school is now shorter, but it looked good on her. "Well if it isn't Hinata." He smiled lazily at her.
"Wow, how long as it been?"
"Since high school," He said as if stating the obvious. He couldn't help but to notice the blush of embarrassment when he stated that. But it had been true; they haven't seen each other since high school. There has been a few times where he could have seen her when he was in town from college but he had come specifically to see Chouji and Ino only. Seeing Hinata now makes him regret it. "From what I could recall you were dating Gaara when I left to college. How is that going?"
"U-Um…we broke up and then I dated Sasuke but that didn't work out too well so…I'm single now." She exclaimed with a lopsided smile. "But weren't you dating Ino? How is that?" She asked curiously.
The ponytailed haired male pointed behind him, "She's dating Chouji now" He exclaimed with a sigh.
Hinata's eyes widened in pure shock, "T-That's Chouji?" She watched as he nodded his head slowly, "Wow, he looks…good, not that he didn't before."
"I think you're about the only girl that thought he looked good before. I honestly think he lost the weight to impress Ino which resulted in us breaking up when he did. He did feel bad about it and told me he was sorry. But I couldn't get mad at him but I was disappointed with Ino. Heh, but it's whatever." He chuckled trying to hide his pain.
Hinata smiled sadly at him, "You're a great guy, and I'm sure someone else will come along and pick up the pieces to your broken heart." She tried to reassure him.
"Heh thanks Hinata. What are you doing here anyways?" He asked.
"Just spending some quality time with my sister," She looked over her shoulder, "She's over there with a friend of hers from school. After this we will be going back home."
"Ah, we should keep in contact. Is it alright if I have your number?" He asked, with a pink tint on his cheeks.
The female Hyuga blushed and nodded her head, "U-Um yeah, I don't mind" She proceeded in telling him her number. Noticing that he wasn't writing it down she questioned him about it but he merely said he would remember it. Nodding her head she let out a small giggle.
"Ah, is this a new boyfriend?"
Both Hinata and Shikamaru blushed deeply as they gazed at each other before quickly looking away from each other. Hanabi laughed, "Wow, you should have seen your face Hinata" Her white-grey eyes then gazed over at Shikamaru, "Hm, you do seem similar. Weren't you friends with my brother?"
"Yes, I was. You've grown Hanabi" He stated, eyeing the teenager.
She blushed and folded her chest across her chest, "Hn, pervert"
"Hanabi!"
Shikamaru sighed, "Troublesome…"
The shorter female sighed loudly, "I'm going to go with Konohamaru and the others to the mall. I'll get a ride home from Konohamaru." The girl left before Hinata could even get a word wise edge in.
"That girl," Hinata growled to herself.
"I see she keeps your hands full." He smirked at her facial expression. Silence lurked between them for a while until Ino and Chouji came back towards them. Shikamaru lazily turned to look at his friends. "You're finally done?" He asked curiously.
Ino nodded her head excitedly but stopped when she noticed Hinata. Her blue eyes widened in shock as she ran towards the female wrapping her arms around her, embracing her tightly. "I haven't seen you in years Hinata. What have you been up to? Oh my, you cut your hair! You look so stylish with this haircut. I love it! How are Neji and the others? Are you still dating Gaara or have you gotten with Sasuke by now? What about Tenten is she finally dating Neji? And what about—"
"Don't you think you're overdoing it with all the questions?" Chouji asked, placing his hand gently on Ino's shoulder in hopes of calming her down.
The blonde haired female blushed from embarrassment as she pulled away from the Hyuga female. "I'm sorry; I guess I got a little over excited." She chuckled.
"It's quite alright." Hinata smiled softly at her. Her eyes then gazed over at Chouji, "It's good to see you as well Chouji." She smiled brightly at the male causing him to grin.
"How has Neji and Naruto doing?"
"They are both doing well. Neji is getting married soon to Tenten and Naruto has actually been helping his father out a lot with his record label." She couldn't help but to blush since she knew Shikamaru was eyeing her, apparently Ino noticed it as well since she was smiling slyly at him.
"Come on Chouji; let's leave these two to catch up."
"But Ino—"
"Come on!" She began dragging the male away, leaving Hinata and Shikamaru alone. Once they were gone Shikamaru groaned, he had a feeling on what Ino was really doing. His dark eyes slowly gazed over at Hinata, taking her in once more.
"Since we're out here do you want to um…hang out?" His tone was clearly hesitant, afraid that she may reject his offer.
"Sure, I don't mind it at all." She smiled brightly up at him.
He let out a breath he hadn't realized that he was holding; "Okay," He smirked lazily at her.
-0-0-0-
The day was going by fast, they had been talking so much that either of them realized it was now dark outside. Shikamaru had been quite curious as to why she was no longer with either males but didn't want to bring up past loves with her. He had a feeling that she didn't want to talk about them anyways. All that mattered to him was the quality time he was spending with her. He could still remember the crush he had on her many years ago.
It was never a big crush, nothing too big where he would actually put forth and try to get with her but nevertheless it was still a crush. Ino had been so jealous of Hinata during the time but never treated her badly because of it, most likely because she didn't want to lose Hinata as a friend. Looking at her now Shikamaru could see why he held feelings for her. She was beautiful, had the kindest heart he has ever encountered and she always seemed to be concerned for others wellbeing.
From what he was told from Neji, Aishido's only living known relative had passed away and despite what he has done to her in the past, Hinata took it upon herself to send him flowers and her condolences. He smiled at that thought. She was truly an angel on earth.
"How long have you been single?" He blurted out before he could stop himself.
Hinata, who wasn't expecting the sudden question, blushed from embarrassment. "I'd say going on a year now. But I'm still good friends with Gaara and Sasuke." She stated, still not giving too much information about the break-up.
He nodded his head, "I see, do you like being single?"
"Hm, I don't think much about it to be honest." She explained with a lopsided smile. "What about you? Have you been single for some time?"
The black haired male raised his hand scratching behind his head, "About the same amount of time as you. I've gotten used to it. Not like I'm going to find another girlfriend anytime soon. I think that Gaara's sister is interested in me but I only see her as a friend." He exclaimed, thinking about the rough female. Despite her tough attitude, she had a very soft core which she has showed him plenty times before. She has cried in front of him when she expressed her thoughts on Gaara's past to even how she feels about her father. In all honesty, Temari is a good person and a cool girl he likes to hang with.
"I would have never though Ino and Chouji would start dating." She exclaimed, pondering about the couple. Just by looking at Chouji she could tell that he was happy. But she had a feeling Ino only liked him because of his weight lost, which isn't fair on Chouji's part.
"Same here, but they are happy. Not much I can do but be happy for them. Although, it is annoying how they kiss in front of me like I'm not even there." He sighed causing Hinata to giggle.
"It shows how much they care about each other without the embarrassment."
"Eh, it can become rather irksome to sit there and watch your ex-girlfriend making out with your best friend," Shikamaru yawned. "So do you have your own place?"
"Mm, I do. Although, I wouldn't exactly call it my own since Naruto is practically there every day as if he lives there. He probably is there right now as we speak, sleeping on the couch or eating ramen."
Shikamaru smirked, "Heh, say Hinata…"
She turned over to look over at the male, "Yes?"
"Would you like to maybe, go out on a date with me?" He didn't dare look at her afraid to see the look on her face. Deciding to finally pick up the courage to look at her, he was surprised to see the blush adorning on her fair skinned cheeks.
"A-A date?" She blushed.
He nodded, "Yes, if you want…"
"S-Sure, I don't mind it. We can catch up on more things." She smiled brightly at him.
"Yeah, we can." He returned the smile.
-0-0-0-
The blonde watched as Hinata moved back and forth throughout the house, "Slow down, you're getting too excited. If I didn't know any better I would say you have a thing for Shikamaru." He teased.
Hinata snapped her head towards her best friend. "I don't have a thing for anyone." She implied.
"Yeah, yeah, sure."
Both of their eyes widened when they heard someone knocking on the door. Both look at each other before racing to answer the door but Naruto came out victorious as he opened the door revealing Shikamaru, "Well, if it isn't Mr. Lazy himself. It's been a while. Coming to take my Hinata on a date I see." He narrowed his eyes at the male, trying to appear as if he were the father figure.
"Yes, I am. Are you ready Hinata?"
She nodded her head wearing a bright smile on her face. "I am, I'll see you when I come home, Naru-chan." Hinata exclaimed as she made her way towards Shikamaru.
"Don't have her out all night." Naruto warned, with a stern look on his face. Shikamaru rolled his eyes and mumbled an 'okay' before guiding Hinata towards his car. "And no sex!" He yelled out much to the embarrassment of Shikamaru and Hinata.
-0-0-0-
Shikamaru stared at the Hyuga female sitting across from him. The two had just finished their meal at one of the finest restaurants in Tokyo. It was unlike him to take a girl out to a high class restaurant. In fact he hadn't even taken Ino to one before but here he is out with Hinata. He felt the need to impress her, even though it's out of his character to do so. But throughout this night Shikamaru couldn't help but to admire her beauty.
Is it possible to grow even more stunning? Hinata is actually the answer to that question. She looks so fresh and inviting that he couldn't get himself to stop staring.
"I sure hope that you enjoyed tonight." He said.
Hinata nodded. A bright smile radiated off her face. "Yes, I did. I'm actually glad that we ran into each other." Shikamaru still looks the same as he did in high school but has grown much taller over the years. His hair has also grown but is still in that same high ponytail that he always wears it in. But when surprised her was his facial hair. It wasn't much but it was seeable and it looked, dare she say…sexy.
She blushed. What was she thinking? This is Shikamaru for goodness sakes. She wasn't really that close to him in high school or middle school so Hinata hadn't really paid much attention to his facial features because at the time she was interested in only Sasuke and then eventually Gaara. But looking at him now she realized that he actually has quite some charm and attractive.
"That's good. I'm glad that you are." He replied. "I was thinking maybe we can head over to the park. There are a lot of stars up at this time of night."
"I always knew that you were a cloud man but never a star gazer." Hinata exclaimed.
Shikamaru shrugged. "Stars are pretty. I look at them from time to time." He waved his arm into the air motioning for check. After paying for the check, the two walked out of the restaurant. The cool night breeze hit their faces. The male placed his arm around Hinata's shoulder pulling her close to his chest.
Looking up at him she seemed surprised by his actions. There was a light blush on his cheeks which she had taken notice of. The silence between the two was silence but a comfortable one in which Shikamaru appreciated. It beats listening to Ino talking off his ear.
Once the two arrived at the park, the couple sat on the bench staring up at the stars just enjoying each other's company. Every once in a while Shikamaru would bring up their past, both laughing at old memories. "You know, this type of thing is very troublesome but…spending it with you makes it worth the while." He smirked.
Hinata blushed causing him to chuckle. This evening with him turned out to be rather fun. Turning to face him, Hinata gazed at him. They were getting along so well, almost as if they were old best friends in the past. "We should do this again." She whispered shyly.
Shikamaru turned, "Sure, I wouldn't mind it. In fact…" He trailed off looking rather embarrassed. "We should make this a regular thing." He said.
"A regular thing?"
He nodded. Apparently she didn't seem to catch on to what he meant. This was troublesome. Scooting closer, he placed his arm around her pulling her close towards his body. His dark brown eyes gazed down at her bright lavender pools. "As in dating," He whispered.
A dark blush appeared on her cheeks. It's already the first day since they have seen each other and he is already thinking about dating? Isn't this too fast? But the look in his eyes said that he was determined to ask her, rather that meant getting rejected or not. Gazing away from the lazy male she nodded. "I think we should take things s-slowly." She replied.
He smirked. "I agree." His heart was going hundred miles per-hour with just being this close to her. What is it about her that makes him feel so good inside? She has always been just about the only girl who he has deemed less troublesome. Her presence always calmed him and made him happy. In high school, whenever he caught someone picking on her he would follow them into a secluded area of the school and threaten them so badly that they didn't dare bother her anymore. So there has always been a part of him that cared about her but now that he is seeing her after so long he the feeling is growing.
Getting to know her wouldn't be so bad. In fact, he'll enjoy spending his days with her.
"Hinata," He called. Once she turned her face, Shikamaru pressed his lips against hers. The kiss was soft and sweet, nothing too demanding or rough. It was perfect. Pulling away from her, Shikamaru gazed down at her lips. They were still perched out causing him to smirk and kiss her once more. "You're so beautiful," He murmured into the kiss.
"Awe, look at that couple on the bench. They're so cute."
This made Shikamaru and Hinata quickly pull away from each other. They both blushed deeply from embarrassment. "I should be taking you home now." He said, quickly standing up from the bench with his head turned away from hers.
Hinata nodded. "R-Right," She looked up to notice Shikamaru's extended hand stretched out towards hers. Smiling softly, she slid her hand into his as he pulled her up to her feet.
"Naruto can be happy we didn't do anything else together." He said with a blush. Hinata nodded unable to bring herself to respond back to the embarrassing statement.
The two walked hand in hand on the walk path of the park. In the back of Shikamaru's mind he couldn't help but to smile. This would be the mark of a very enjoyable love. One that wouldn't be troublesome at all.