Chapter 37: Meeting

Come eat breakfast with the family, he said. Bring your family and we can have a nice chat, he said. What the hell was he thinking? Shikamaru slouched in his seat and sighed, picking at his eggs. The conversation at the breakfast table was awkward, which is what he did not expect. His brain formulated some kind of dramatic intervention about Ino, the baby, and how she should keep it, but ever since Ino and himself walked through the door, the tension between the two families escalated and no one spoke a word. It was funny because from outside the house, the couple could hear their parents laughing and gossiping about the latest neighborhood scandals.

Maybe it was too early in the day to discuss their situation; Shikamaru knew he never wanted to talk about it, especially in the mornings when all Shikamaru wanted to do was scratch his personal parts. But, this discussion had to be done now because his dad is leaving for a mission with Ino's father later on in the day…and Ino and Shikamaru somehow planned a dinner date with their old friends.

Being around others didn't give a chance for Hidan to attack them; at least, that's what Shikamaru planned. The man needed discretion in order to attack or the whole entire population of Konoha would be after his head. In order for Hidan to attack Ino needed to be alone or with Shikamaru, which Shikamaru hoped to all gods that wouldn't happen.

Shikamaru suspected that the Akatsuki member was already in Konoha. Yesterday, after the preliminary rounds were over and he dismissed the remaining Genin, he made his way upstairs to see everyone out and head home to rest and prep for the next month. However, the halls and lounges were clear of his co-workers and as he trudged towards the upstairs lounge, he stumbled over an ANBU woman laid at the bottom of the stairs with her neck angled in a way that wasn't normal. It looked as if she was pushed down the stairs. However, blood poured from the wounds all over her body. Blood painted the walls and staircase, dripping from step to step as Shikamaru sprinted up to the lounge. No one was in the perfectly clean lounge, but the window was wide open.

"Shikamaru, are you all right?" his mother asked, elbowing him in his ribs. Shikamaru straightened up and popped a piece of egg into his mouth and then nodded, keeping his eyes on his plate. Yoshino cleared her throat and turned her attention to Ino. "So, Ino, do you know the sex yet?"

Ino looked surprised. She placed her chopsticks on her plate and like Shikamaru, kept her eyes on her dish. "Uh, it's a girl," she uttered.

Shikamaru glanced at his mother. She clapped her hands together in delight and he swore she started bouncing in her seat. "That's so exciting! What are you going to name her?"

"Uh, Mom, Dad, Mr. and Mrs. Nara, we're giving her up for adoption," Ino said, eyes still fixated on something else other than the eight pairs of eyes jumping from her face to Shikamaru's. Ino sucked in a breath. "Shikamaru and I feel that it is better that we give her to a couple…er, person, who is more capable of raising her."

A person, she said? Shikamaru cocked an eyebrow and studied the blonde's face, but her stoic expression gave him no clues.

"I was gonna have a granddaughter!" Shikamaru's mother wailed, slamming her palms on the tabletop. She pouted and leaned over the table. Ino leaned away and blinked in confusion at the overwhelmed woman. "You must reconsider, Ino!"

Ino shook her head. "It's decision that I feel in better for o-our, uh, daughter. Shikamaru and I can't raise a child." She sounded like she was holding back tears. "As much as I want to keep her, we're only children ourselves."

Shikamaru remembered closing the window, turning around to see blood running up and down the walls. It read, "Hide and seek is over."

"Shikamaru, what do you have to say about this?"

After what happened, Shikamaru's mind shoved any thought of keeping Ino's daughter. The best choice was to keep the baby out of harm's way. Shikamaru just hoped that Hidan would make an appearance after the baby's birth. Shikamaru shrugged and mumbled, "I have no objections."

"Yoshino," Shikaku butted in, placing a comforting hand over his wife's hand, "respect their decisions. As painful as it is that I technically won't be a granddaddy soon, they are thinking of someone besides themselves, and we all know that this is very rare." Inoichi nodded and Ino's mother just sighed.

Shikamaru mouthed 'thank you' to his father, who just winked and sipped his morning beer.

"Eh, Ino, honey," Ino's mother whispered, hiding behind Inoichi's shoulder when Yoshino glanced over at her, "what do you plan on doing when you get back to work?" Yoshino nodded with agreement and turned her interest to Ino, who stared at her mother with bored eyes.

"It'll take a while for my body to recover and get used to my chakra again, but I plan to start where I left off." Shikamaru wiggled his nose at the answer. She wanted to 'start where she left off'? Does that mean there was a possibility that he'd have to track her down in Kumogakure again?

Yoshino smiled and cocked her head to the side. "Do you know who you're giving the child to yet?"

"Eh," Ino's voice trailed as she glared at Shikamaru. The Nara pushed back into his seat, caught off guard. "Tanaka Kanna."

Ino's father, Inoichi, hummed his approval with a faint smile playing along his lips. Shikamaru's parents also beamed with a sort of gratitude in their aged eyes. Ino's eyes bounced from each parents, obviously confused about all the smiles and the sudden relief of tension. Shikamaru pursed his lips and remained seated. He wanted to jump out of his seat, kick it over and shout his victory cry; he wanted to bounce around Ino and brag that his choice was right, but knowing Ino, she was expecting it later and Shikamaru had to expected threats towards his face and/or his manly parts.

Mai was the first to respond. "She's a lovely, kind woman," her mother, who was smiling the biggest of all the parents, said. "I remember when your father and you were gone on a mission; she came by and helped with the flower shop. She even helped repaint the fence."

Ino flashed a quick smile at her mother before reverting back to her blank expressions. "I actually am meeting with her this afternoon." Shikamaru threw her a betrayed look, but she just shrugged off his reaction. How come he wasn't informed about this? Oh right, it's because she's all mighty Ino and she never tells him diddily shit.

Breakfast went well, Ino thought as she and Shikamaru walked down Main Street, hand in hand as usual. The parents took the whole adoption news better than Ino expected and it surprised her that they somewhat supported her decision in giving her child to Kanna. She guessed the name put tension to rest. Ino really was a bad judge of character….

"How come you didn't tell me you were seeing Kanna later?" Shikamaru spontaneously questioned after walking in silence for several long minutes. Ino was almost startled.

"It was a spur of the moment thing. I—"

"All this spur of the moment stuff is going to bust your water."

Ino pinched the skin between his thumb and index finger, causing him to squeal in pain. "Let me finish, asshole," Ino hissed. "I called her this morning before you picked me up and I asked if I was able to come over. It's not like I had this planned for a while. Come if you want."

"I have to speak with Tsunade, but I'll walk you over there."

Ino snorted and rolled her eyes. "You're treating me like a six-year-old."

"You do remember what Tsunade told us last night."

Ino stalled her response, remembering exactly what the Hokage shared with the duo the night before. "I choose not to think about it."

"That won't get you killed or anything." Ever since the meeting with Tsunade, Shikamaru acted out of character. Usually, he'd try to keep conversation with her, ask her how she felt and how the baby was doing, but as they walked to the Nara's compound and now back to Ino's apartment, he stared at nothing in particular. His dark eyes were watching something play in his mind, his own reverie instead of the scene playing in front of him.

"Um, Shikamaru, are you doing okay?" Ino whispered, looking at his zoned out face. She squeezed his fingers gently and waited for him to squeeze her fingers, but he just stared at the sidewalk. "Shikamaru?"

"Hmm? Yeah, I'm fine."

The rest of the way to Ino's apartment, they walked in silence. Ino wanted to give her feet a break the whole time, but with Shikamaru in his zombie like state, he would walk off without her, so she stayed close to his side.

She wouldn't admit it to Shikamaru, but the thought of Hidan being anywhere close to the village frightened her. She wasn't afraid of being killed but afraid that Hidan could hurt her friends and most importantly, Shikamaru and the baby. The two people that stayed by her side (both involuntarily, but we can kick that detail).

Was it too late to tell Shikamaru to leave? Let her deal with her own problems? She could but Shikamaru wasn't the one to desert someone in their time of need or when he's gone so far with something. For such an asshole, he was a noble and loyal asshole.

Once they arrived at Ino's apartment, Shikamaru sighed and looked at her with fatigued eyes. "Are you doing okay?" he asked.

Ino arched a brow and mockingly reciprocated the question. She wouldn't answer if he wouldn't give her a straight answer. "You didn't answer my question."

"I'm fine," Shikamaru assured.

"You don't sound or look fine to me." Shikamaru looked like death attached to her hand. "I think you should take a long nap."

"I have to see Tsunade soon, though. When are you meeting Kanna?"

Ino opened the door and peeked at the clock. It was 11 and she promised to be over by 12:30. If only they had a few more hours so Shikamaru could actually rest. "I have an hour and a half, so sleep for half an hour while I get ready." Ino beckoned over to the couch. "There's already a blanket and pillow if you want it."

Ino left the room to wash her face, not knowing Shikamaru took the offer or not. "Ino," he quietly called from the den. Ino poked her head into the room. Shikamaru sprawled along the couch with the pillow over his face. "Are you ever going to tell your parents…about Hidan?" His voice was muffled and hard to understand.

"No," Ino answered, "it's a secret between you and me."

"What about Sakura?"

"Within time."

"You mean when he shows up and terrorizes all of Konoha?"

That wasn't the image Ino wanted in her head. "Please, don't say that, Shikamaru," Ino whispered soft enough for him to not hear. She quietly snuck back into the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

Ino stared in the mirror. Terrorize all of Konoha Shikamaru said. His question echoed in her head like a ringing in your ears.

"We make a good couple, Blondie."

Sudden heat pressed against her; she could feel him. In the mirror she watched the smirking silver haired man circle her, eyes on her like he was famished and she was a tasty piece of meat. His hands danced along her bare arms and neck, tickling her like feathers. And then, his hands swooped to her stomach, a single fingertip trailing down her round stomach. She watched his pale hand with her own eyes as it drew patterns. She could feel him.

Ino shut her eyes even though she could still feel his featherlike fingertips moving along her skin and his hot breath slowly blowing against her ear. One…, Ino counted. Two… Three…

He vanished, leaving no traces besides the blazing trails on Ino's skin. Ino looked in the mirror, at her terrified face and her weary eyes, her pale face.

"Ino!" Shikamaru called. The door cracked open. Ino notice Shikamaru stick his nose into the bathroom. "You're not naked or anything, right?" He coughed in embarrassment. She noticed his nose turn a bright pink.

She chuckled. "No, you can come in, I guess."

Shikamaru opened the door and leaned against the frame. He smile turned into a frown when he took a good look at her. "You look like you've seen a ghost. Are you feeling okay?"

"It could be a sign that my water is going to break," Ino joked but Shikamaru's frown deepened. Ino flashed a half smile at him and grabbed his shirt, pulling Shikamaru towards her and embracing him. His arms were hesitant but slowly encased her securely, protecting Ino from all the figments of her imagination and those that weren't.

Kanna lived near the Eastern Gate, which wasn't too far from Ino's apartment but like Ino's apartment, it was far away from everything else. Her home hid behind the trees just so pedestrians could see the the front door of the quaint, amber brown home. At first glance, the home looked small, low maintenance with its small patch of lawn and a flower garden but as Ino approached the house, she noticed the house in its entirety, a large rancher style home.

"Holy shit," Shikamaru mumbled as they wandered around the house, snooping around Kanna's property since she didn't answer her doorbell. "She has a freaking glass wall in her house." Unsure if Shikamaru was exaggerating, Ino walked around the corner and sure enough, Ino was looking into a pale pink room with two light grey sofas and a small coffee table placed in front of the sofas. Ino reached out and pressed her palm against the glass that protected the room from nature.

"My daughter and I like watching the sun set below the Hokage Mountain every night," Kanna said from behind the couple, startling the wits out of them.

Ino pressed herself against the wall and rubbed her stomach. "Oh God," Ino cried, "There goes my water."

"Huh!" Shikmaru wailed and fanned the blonde with his hand. "Ino, this is not the time to give birth. Hold it in!"

Ino waved him away. "I'm joking…I think." She straightened out with the help of her friend's hand. "Hello, Kanna," Ino greeted, smiling as if she wasn't trespassing or dirtying up her shiny, glass wall, "it is good to see you."

Kanna smiled, making Ino want to punch herself in the face because Kanna was so stunning. "I should say the same to you. You look very well." Her brunette eyes jumped to Shikamaru who almost jump at the sudden change of attention. His eyes grew to the size of oranges and his lips pursed in a hard, straight line. "Um…you look good, too, Shikamaru."

His neck slowly turned red, but he quickly recovered by rubbing the back of his neck and clearing his throat. "Well, thank you," he said; his voice sounded deeper than usual. Ino rolled her eyes, grabbed him by the back of his shirt like grabbing a cat by its scruff, and with all her pregnant strength, pulled him away from the gorgeous, older woman.

"You're embarrassing, Shikamaru," Ino mumbled as Shikamaru resisted, looking back at Kanna and awkwardly waving back at her. Ino pulled Shikamaru in front of her and stared at him. "You're like a thirteen-year-old boy. Go talk to Tsunade and come back once that's over, okay?" Or, not. Shikamaru's eyes were looking past Ino's face. "Shikamaru, I understand she's good looking—pay attention!"

He kissed her on the forehead, turned and left. "I'll be back later, Ino," he yelled as he jogged away.

"He's an odd one," Kanna laughed when Ino joined her at the front door. "Has he always been awkward with the ladies?"

"Just the pretty ones," Ino mutter bitterly. If only he would act like that around her, but then again, they grew up together. Kanna raised her thin eyebrows and smirked. Ino frowned. "Anyway, I wanted to come—"

"Investigate my home; make sure it's not covered with booby traps, secret passage ways, and laboratories?" Kanna giggled at Ino's astonished face. "It's happened to me before, but those stories are for another time. Come in."

"Your house is very beautiful," Ino commented as she eyed a cased weapon collection that covered two whole walls in her den and the beautiful nature color scheme of her home. "That collection is impressive. I haven't seen one so large before." The two walked over to the weapons. Ino curled her toes into the forest green rug that felt wonderful underneath her feet. Wonder where she bought it…

"Well, when you've been an ANBU for as long as me, you pick up some interesting weapons on missions. Some of these are illegal to have in the Fire Nation." Kanna laughed and winked at Ino. "That's a secret between you and me, though, right?"

Ino smiled. "My lips are zipped," she said as she did the motion of zipping her lips and tossing an imaginary key over her shoulder.

"Do you want to see the baby's room?"

"You already have the baby's room ready?"

Kanna averted her eyes to her weapons. "I have a horrible habit of jumping the gun. Ha, it's kind of funny how jumpy I am but my career record says otherwise. Anyway, it's down the hall." Kanna flipped the light switch, revealing a hallway that consisted of at least eight doors. On the walls were pictures of Kanna, her husband, and daughter but mostly pictures of her daughter throughout her childhood such as those embarrassing Academy pictures and pictures from family outings. The hard wood floors were covered by the same forest green rug that felt great between Ino's toes.

The baby's room was the third door on the left. On the door, there was a sign hanging from a nail that read, "Baby." Kanna flashed Ino a shy smile. "I'm not sure if it's a boy or a girl, so it has been called 'Baby' and I hope you like yellow. That's the neutral color, right? Or was it purple…?" Kanna was in the middle of her sentence when she opened the door.

The room smelled of paint, freshly shampooed carpets and fresh air. Baby blue curtains waved at them as air pooled in from the cracked window. Its sunshine walls were set by the white wall paper trimming with polka dots painted on the white. The crib matched the curtains and the blankets and pillows were blue and brown polka dots, which made Ino think that Kanna was hoping for a boy. Above the crib, written in pink and sloppy hand writing, was a little note.

"Little Baby, I love you! Love, Yumiko"

"Your little girl?"

"Yes, she's excited."

"Is she starting school yet?" Ino asked, staring at the message written on the wall.

"She's in her second year at the Academy. It's scary to think she'll be a Genin in four years."

"She has you as a mother. It's scary to think what she'll do."

Kanna chuckled. "Iruka says she's doing very well, so smart and athletic. She's the total opposite of me. In my academy days, I was the smart girl who would accidentally stab myself, not the girl who could hit the target every time with a blind fold. I was pretty clumsy as a kid."

Looking around the room still, wondering if her daughter could really live her, there was a question resting in the back of Ino's head. "Earlier you said something about people investigating your home, may I ask why?"

"This isn't the first time I tried adopting. Since I'm an ANBU, some parents think I'm sick and twisted because of the missions I've been on. They've even required psyche tests and even though I passed, they still think something is up. Then again, that's how all civilian parents are with shinobi. Uh, I don't think I told you that I'm teaching at the Academy next year?"

Of course she knew. Ino only nosed around her file for a good hour. "No, I don't think so."

"Well, I'm teaching at the Academy. My sister and I thought of a great schedule. My sister watches the baby in the morning and when I get back in the afternoon, I can have…uh…."

"Her."

"Her all to myself. Do you have a name for her yet?"

"No, you can name her if you want."

Kanna stared back at Ino with big, brown eyes. "No, she's your baby. I want you to name her."

"I'll have to think about it."

Ino sighed and looked at the note on the wall one last time, smiling at the heart next to Kanna's daughter's name. She will be a great older sister and Kanna—Ino looked at Kanna who was so gorgeous and now that Ino got to know her, nice—would make a wonderful mother. As much as she hated to admit Shikamaru was right, he was right to pick Kanna even though it was based off looks and skill. Along with her beautiful appearance and amazing status in the shinobi world, Ino knew this woman could teach her daughter how to be caring, polite to others, and how to be a kickass shinobi.

Ino wanted to shrink under the table. Shame her stomach was watermelon sized and the table would topple over even if she tried to adjust in her seat, so crawling underneath the table was simply out of the question. The ten other shinobi sitting at the dinner table weren't used to Ino's humongous belly. Occasionally, as she surveyed the table, noting how everyone has changed within the past few months, Ino would catch someone peeking at her stomach. The boys stared at the baby boulder the most as if an alien would tear through her stomach and gobble them whole. Choji wasn't as surprised as the others but Ino's stomach definitely grew since she last saw him. When Tenten saw her, she squealed in disgusting delight and asked to rub her belly. Ino smacked her hand away. Rock Lee stared at her with admiration and astonishment, rambling about Ino experiencing a miracle of life.

By the looks of things, she missed out on a lot, too. Kiba slung an arm around a blushing Hinata and quickly pecked her on the cheek. Funny, Hinata was in love with Naruto the last time Ino checked and it must be awkward for her considering Sakura and Naruto were sitting next to this newly found couple.

Ino snuck a glance at Shikamaru who sat to her left. Shikamaru was in a light conversation with Neji, probably talking about strategy and Neji's life as ANBU. Neji becoming an ANBU must be new as well since Ino knew he held Jonin status when she left for Cloud. Tenten and Rock Lee sat next to Neji and they appeared to be bickering about something. Rock Lee nudged Tenten in the ribs and beckoned to Neji and Tenten would wave him off, sighing sadly. There must be something going on with Tenten and the Hyuuga.

Choji sat at the end of the table, chowing down as usual and oblivious to everything happening at the table. Shino sat next to Naruto who sat there and stared at his food, probably feeding it to his insects and Ino just couldn't see from where she sat.

Ino definitely missed everyone and she couldn't wait to be back in the field, working with them.

"So, Shikamaru, since you and Ino are pregnant, does that mean you and Temari are over?" Kiba suddenly questioned with an evil smirk on his lips. He ignored Hinata's soft, "Kiba, that isn't nice." Ino took that back—she missed everyone except Kiba.

Shikamaru choked on his water. Ino patted his back as he struggled through a coughing fit. "Of course, they're over, Kiba," Naruto chimed, rolling his eyes as if he knew everything—if only Ino could get her hands on him and not have her water break… "Shikamaru is going to be a father soon. He'd be a bitch if he stayed with Temari."

"Yeah, Shikamaru, you'd be a bitch if you stayed with Temari," Ino mumbled as Shikamaru's coughing died down. She smirked at the squeamish young man. He fidgeted in his seat and pretended he wasn't listening to this conversation while he continued to eat his food.

"I dumped her," Shikamaru hissed harshly between bites.

"Because you were practically forced," Ino whispered back, which made Shikamaru stop chewing for a quick second. "You'll go right back to her when everything is blown over." That made Shikamaru set his chopsticks down. He stared at her with pained eyes; Ino looked away.

"Shikamaru," Kiba called, grinning at the two impishly. Shikamaru tore his gaze away and looked at his friend. "Kiss Ino."

"EH?" Ino hollered, eyebrows rising through the ceiling. As much as Ino felt bad for saying that comment, there was no way in hell she was going to let Shikamaru kiss her. Shikamaru couldn't be considering it.

"Do it, Shikamaru!" Naruto chanted as he pounded his fists into the table, singing a song about Ino and Shikamaru sitting in a tree.

Ino growled in frustration. This wasn't going to happen. "Kiss me and you die."

Shikamaru sighed. "This is troublesome. You do know it's going to go on all night until it happens," he whispered. "I don't want to do it as much as you."

"Shikamaru, don't you dare."

He laid one on her. A sloppy, wet kiss she used to get when Ino was in her last year of the Academy, when the nervous, pubescent boys thought drooling onto a girl's lips was sexy and considered kissing. In all honesty, it reminded her of kissing a dog…not that Ino has ever kissed a dog…voluntarily.

Shikamaru pulled away from her and the table (mainly Kiba, Naruto, and Rock Lee) erupted in cheers and whistles, chanting to do it again. Ino looked away from Shikamaru, to Sakura for help. Her best friend stared back at her in shock with her jaw practically hitting the table top.

"Eh, so Ino, how do you like your food?" Tenten started awkwardly when the cheering died down and the table became silent.

Throughout the night, Shikamaru and Ino did not exchange a word or a glance after the kiss. Ino kept her attention of the girls and the right side of the table, not paying attention to the source of heat pinned to the left side of her body. She also tried ignoring the heat on her cheeks and pretended she wasn't cherry red.

After dinner when everyone started to make excuses to leave—Neji had a mission in the morning, Kiba and Hinata needed to stop by her house to check in with her uncle before going off to prepare for their mission in two days, and Tenten fell asleep and Rock Lee needed to take her home before she started sleep fighting (yes, fighting)—Shikamaru walked Ino back to her apartment. Ino begged Sakura to walk her home instead of Shikamaru but Naruto whisked her off before Sakura could give her an apologetic look and decline. Hmph, so much for a friend...

Shikamaru kept silent during the walk. He even kept his distance between them. Ino definitely preferred him holding her hand and keeping close instead of this cold distance, but if Ino tried advancing towards the spiky haired Nara, he would match the distance she walked towards him.

"I don't understand why you're not talking to me," Ino finally said, fed up with the silence between the two. She inhaled deeply. "I mean it was only a kiss, I guess. You've kissed people before, so it's not like it's a big deal," she rambled. "We've kissed people before."

They were now in the elevator and Ino ran out of words to say. She sighed when she knew Shikamaru wouldn't let up the silent treatment. Ino was the first out of the elevator, marching to her door as fast as she could waddle and hoping that it was fast enough to leave Shikamaru in her pregnant dust.

Just as Ino wiped out her key and shoved it into the keyhole, "Uh, Ino," Shikamaru mumbled, catching her attention.

Ino leaned against the door, arms crossed. "Now you want to talk to me?"

Shikamaru reached up, caressing a finger along her jawline like a feather gently trailing across one's skin. Ino was frozen, back pressed against the door and hands against Shikamaru's chest. He leaned down kissing her cheeks as soft as a hush, breathing evenly in her ear. His lips traveled along her cheek, leaving fluttering fire in its wake and finally, his lips paused at her mouth, so close that if she leaned in her lips and his would meet. She could feel his hot breath teasing her upper lip. It felt like an eternity, standing there, so close and suddenly, Shikamaru chuckled and leaned away.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

Ino watched the young man saunter down the hall and once she heard the elevator ding, Ino turned the key and stepped inside. She heavily leaned against the door and touched her cheek. "What just happened?"