Well Intended

Pairing: Ino/Shikamaru

A/N: I've been dying to write for this particular pairing! Hope at least some of you like it!

《》

Ino's POV. . .

He was always there.

From the minute she was born, Shikamaru had been that instant fixture in her life that grew into an annoyance she both loathed, yet couldn't live without.

He was the first one to call her bossy; he didn't give a shit about her nagging opinions, and the first time she'd screeched at him, he'd plugged his ears, grimaced and declared dryly, that she was the loudest, most troublesome woman he'd ever met.

…and that was saying something, considering who his mother was.

But he was also the first boy to pick her up when she cried. He was always there with choji at his back, waiting for her at the end of the school day, so they could walk home together.

He was there at the academy,

at the flower shop,

at training, and even home;

He drove her insane with his irresponsible, lazybones stare-at-the-clouds attitude…but Shikamaru Nara was always there.

Until the day came, when he wasn't.

The Chunin exams were a turning point for a lot of reasons, and not just because Shikamaru had managed to be the only one in their class to promote to Chunin; the whirlwind disaster brought on by the Sand Siblings and the Forest of Death, had been the catalyst.

Afterwards, nothing ever quite went back to the way it had been. . . And then they all just kept getting older, and that's when a certain Suna woman started coming around more often.

At first, Ino didn't even notice it; Temari was assigned as the liaison between Suna and Konoha, and as Konoha Ambassador, it was Shikamaru's duty to escort the Sunaian woman during her stay. Naturally, the amount of time they spent together, increased, and Shikamaru's schedule became increasingly busy as Tsunade entrusted him with more and more responsibility.

Still though, Ino didn't think much of it, until the team missions started getting fewer. . . and then team trainings went down to 4 times a week instead of 5; then 3, then 2…it wasn't until one afternoon as she and Chouji were having lunch with kurenai, that Ino suddenly had an epiphany. Snapping her eyes up, the bombshell blonde furrowed her brows and asked, "Hey, where's Shikamaru?"

Her other teammate shrugged, mouth full of deliciously seared steak, and her blue eyes cut across to their Sensei.

"Oh, well isn't Temari Sabaku in town? I wasn't expecting Shikamaru to be around much, considering."

Something in kurenai's tone unsettled Ino; and that word she'd used – 'considering' – like the reason behind Shikamaru's absence was obvious and went without saying...

'What the hell's going on around here? The blond muttered inwardly, stabbing irritatedly at a thin piece of steak that was stubbornly clinging to the grill. "'considering'? What?"

Two pairs of eyes swung in her direction, in varying degrees of confusion; that's when Ino's temper began to simmer because for once, she was the one missing something. "What? Will you two stop keeping whatever the heck it is, to yourselves?!"

"Ah, Ino…didn't you know already?" Chouji nudged her lightly from his place beside her, and the blonde cast narrowed blue eyes in his direction. "know what, Chouji?" she bit out between clenched teeth, and this caused her sturdy teammate to gulp a bit warily. "Shikamaru. And Temari. They're kinda sort of going out now. Ya know, like, officially…?" The rotund Akamichi cast questioning eyes to their Sensei as he delivered the news; truthfully, he'd been worried about his two best friends for awhile now. They'd gone from bickering and nagging each other day in and day out, to withdrawn and tenuously toeing around each other as though each was trying desperately to avoid something, without coming right out and admitting it.

As Shikamaru and Chouji were a bit closer, the Akamichi had a sneaking suspicion as to what the shadow user was hiding…but Ino had always been a bit harder for Chouji to read; that had always been Shikamaru's specialty, yet ironically, he and Ino seemed for all intents and purposes, 'on the outs'.

At Chouji's unexpected news, Ino was a bit shell-shocked and spaced out for several tense minutes. As it turned out, Kurenai was also suspicious regarding the nature of Ino and Shikamaru's estrangement, but the genjutsu mistress was more certain in her deduction of the issue. "Ino? Is everything alright with you and Shikamaru?" She questioned at length, and watched closely as a split-second flash of pain crossed the blonde's features, before being replaced with an all too bright smile. "Oh yeah, psh, of course! You know how Shika gets; I just hadn't really seen him today so, figured he'd probably been lazing around, grumbling and moody like always." She flicked her wrist in a flippant gesture, then pinched her straw between two well-manicured nails, and sipped noisily on her strawberry milkshake.

But the look in her oceanic orbs was distant, troubled and no matter how much she tried to force herself to engage in conversation with Chouji and Kurenai, Ino Yamanaka couldn't ignore the sinking feeling in her belly, nor the painful sensation of her heart dropping like a stone at the mention of Temari's name.

《》

Shikamaru's POV. . .

It made absolutely no sense.

He'd been noticing the changes to their dynamic, pretty much from the start. Unmotivated and aloof as he was, Shikamaru Nara was the sharpest mind and quickest wit in his generation; 'lazybones' he may be, but 'oblivious' he was not. Something was up with Ino, yet the craziest thing was, the strategist couldn't figure it out.

Yeah. He was well and truly stumped and it was driving him crazy.

At first, he'd chalked it up to 'that time of the month; women were always troublesome creatures anyway, but their 'confusing' factor always skyrocketed during their monthly cycles, and having practically grown up with Ino 24/7, Shikamaru was more than used to her hormonal temperaments.

The thing was, this time, she was different; normally when Ino was cycling, she was ten times more troublesome. Her fits were pretty much, always directed at him, her emotions ran higher and she'd fluctuate between nagging, screeching, and bouts of crying over nothing.

Simply put, everyone knew when Ino Yamanaka was on her period, and it was best to just keep out of the blonde's way until it blew over…

But Ino hadn't been hormonal.

She hadn't been nagging him about his smoking,

Or screeching at him to pick his lazy ass up and be productive. . .

In fact, he hadn't hardly seen Ino in almost 2 whole weeks; and since Temari's arrival from Suna 4 days ago, his blonde teammate had been completely MIA with not even a peep of where she was or who she was hiding out with; because that's exactly what Ino was doing – hiding from him, and Shikamaru's brows furrowed darkly, as he strolled through Konoha's streets with his hands shoved in his pockets and a cancer stick between his lips. It was around 6 in the evening, and the lanky, broad shouldered Nara had just finished for the day; between morning paperwork, mission reports, mind-numbing council meetings plus his Ambassador duties, Shikamaru had been going full tilt since 7am that morning, and he was beat. The man wanted nothing more than to get home, grab a glass of warm milk and drag himself to bed and pass out for a good three-day stretch.

But this troublesome issue with Ino wasn't leaving him alone; it was a problem that his strategist mind couldn't help but turn over and he'd been puzzling over it in the brief, unoccupied moments of his day.

A dark scowl marred his ruggedly handsome features, and he took a long drag of his cigarette, before he dropped and snuffed it out with the toe of his boot. 'Goddamn it, Ino; where the fuck have you been? And what the hell's going on with you?' He growled inwardly. The man dragged an irritated hand over his spiky locks, before letting said hand drop to his side as he came up the road to Chouji's. Making a decision, he turned up the gravel path and knocked on the door.

"Shikamaru, h-hey, what's up? You just get finished?"

The dark-eyed Nara eyed his rotund friend critically; "What's going on with Ino, Cho? Have you seen her lately?"

The slight stutter in Cho's greeting had clued him in; it was the Akamichi's tell. Whenever something big was going on in their circle that the Ginger knew about, but no one else did, he'd always get skittish and quiet like now, and avoid certain topics at all costs; Chouji had always been a very transparent and honest person, and he hated keeping secrets especially amongst his team.

At this very moment, he was staring at Shikamaru with this kind of wide-eyed trepidation and his large feet kept scuffling on the gravel as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other – another one of his glaring tells that something was wrong.

Narrowing his eyes, Shikamaru held his hand aloft and settled it on his friend's shoulder to still him. His sharp almond eyes fixed Chouji with an indisputable look, and he spoke lowly, "Chouji,"

The Ginger raised his eyes to look at his friend, inhaled a deep breath and let it go as his whole body sagged heavily with the action. "I don't know, Shikamaru. I've – I mean I've seen her, but she's… look, this isn't just Ino; you've been acting strange too. Both of you are like, just -" he scratched at his cheek, face screwed up in discomfort, before continuing, "dancing around each other, like you've got something to hide. I know you and Ino get under each other's skin a lot, so I didn't wanna push it by saying anything. But then – today, we were at lunch with Kurenai Sensei and Ino was asking where you were. We told her Temari was in town but it was like – so weird because Ino's the gossip, she always knows everything before anyone else does! But she -" Chouji paused, catching his bottom lip between his teeth, before meeting shikamaru's gaze squarely. "Shikamaru, she didn't even know you and Temari were going out."

.

.

There was a deafening pause, the span of which Shikamaru's mind shifted through about a dozen different scenarios and possibilities, before the Nara ultimately shook his head, "Nah, that's - that's not possible; Ino gets distracted but there's no way she wouldn't have known. Come on, Cho." Shikamaru cuffed his friend on the shoulder, rolling his eyes as a brief smirk crossed his features.

But the Ginger wouldn't let up and tugged sharply on Shikamaru's sleeve, "That's exactly it, Shika; it's Ino, and she didn't notice! I'm telling you, something's wrong. . . And idk if this means anything but, when I told her, she got this – blank look on her face and got super quiet. And then she – just looked hurt."

His earnest words had Shikamaru pausing mid stride and he turned to look back at his friend; no matter how many times he'd thought it through, nothing about this situation made any sense to him. And the lack of logic presented, was what worried him the most.

"Alright Chouji," the Nara spoke slowly, expression morphing into a grave seriousness. "I hear you."

"So, what about you?"

"Me?" the shadow user arched a brow, and Chouji gave him this deadpan look, "Really? You think you're the only one around here with observation skills? I've seen the way you've been looking at her lately; Ino. You think she doesn't notice, and she obviously hasn't. . .but I've noticed and the look in your eyes isn't the same."

Inwardly, Shikamaru cringed; he closed his eyes against his friend's penetrating stare, and turned away. He thought he'd been subtle about it, but then, Chouji had learned how to be more observant, simply by watching Shikamaru himself as he analyzed people and situations on a daily basis. He'd also taught Ino and Cho more than a thing or two in the years they'd been a team; looks like he'd taught the Ginger a little too well.

"…I guess there's no point in denying it; truth is…I'm not really sure, Cho…" the dark eyed man's expression was twisted in uncertainty as he massaged the back of his neck, groaning, "Mendokuse…"

The Shadow wielder dropped his hand, rolled his lips together and stared off in the distance, shaking his head helplessly. "I just – I feel like you're right; something's going on with us; her and me. And it's a real pain, but I can't leave it alone. It's bugging the shit out of me, but more than that, it's scaring me too."

At this admission, a brief look of pain flashed through Shikamaru's eyes, and Chouji gasped, recognizing it as the same look Ino had worn when he'd told her about Shika and Temari. "…Shikamaru, you – are you in love with Ino…?" The question was but a fragile whisper carried on the evening breeze.

The shadow user chuckled, eyes returning to his long-time friend before his lips curved into a sad smile, "…I might be, Chouji…I just might be."

《》

The next three days were long and miserable ones for Shikamaru. On top of his grueling work schedule, he was being pressured from his mother in particular, regarding his new relationship with Temari. Truth be told, making things official between them, had been Temari's idea. She knew Yoshino nagged Shikamaru about settling down, but that the man had really no motivation or interest to do so.

Though Shikamaru and her tended to bicker more times than not, the two of them had become friends and on the spur of the moment, Temari had suggested a 'faux relationship' between them, as a means for Shikamaru to appease his mother while also getting her off his back.

The plan was a logical one and Temari certainly wasn't the worst female to date; she was beautiful, strong and intelligent, and they had an understanding between them which made things even easier.

…the only problem was, Shikamaru had begun sensing the sand woman's growing attention towards him and he knew from the subtle glances coupled with the frequency of time spent together, that she was hoping for more. As if things couldn't get worse, his mother caught wind of it and had begun to pressure him yet again to make his relationship with Temari more permanent. 'Mendokuse..'

Women were such a gigantic pain in the ass!

Speaking of, the situation between him and Ino, was still unresolved as he'd yet to catch so much as a glimpse of the problematic blonde as of yet; she'd missed their weekly training on account of a last-minute solo mission, and once returned, she didn't seek out him or Chouji, instead choosing to throw herself into working day shifts at the flower shop, with an occasional extra night shift at the hospital.

In his endeavors to seek her out, Shikamaru had made a few visits to Kurenai's, Ino's parents, and he'd even staked out the flower shop for a full 24hrs (not his proudest moment), in a desperate attempt to connect with her…

It was the 3rd day of this, and by now, Nara Shikamaru was in the foulest of moods; not even his trusty smoking habit could ease the tension or relax his mind; the scowling shadow wielder stalked down the street cigarette-less, pissed off, and downright miserable, towards his last resort – the apartmentof one Sakura Haruno. If anyone could sniff out where that stubborn blonde of his was, it'd be her best friend. He only hoped Sakura would concede an exception to the 'sisters-before-misters' code, and help him out.

Truthfully, the bulk of Nara's sour mood was due to one cause – he missed her. He missed Ino like he never thought he possibly could; all her nagging, bossy-ness and hormonal rages had been such a constant part of his life, he was more than a little chagrined to find he felt incomplete without them – life was ironic that way; one often searched endlessly for fulfillment outside of their own world, consequently missing what was right in front of them all along; Ino was – nothing like Shikamaru's original plan; 'marry an ordinary girl, raise an average family and lead an average life.' It was all planned out so concisely and seamlessly down to the last mundane detail, yet Shikamaru had neglected one key element in his strategy – unpredictability.

Turns out, that variable was Ino.

With her long flaxen hair, brilliant blue eyes and nagging boisterous ways, she'd completely bowled over every one of Shikamaru's previous conceptions and expectations in life; he'd gone from accepting average, to contemplating 'what if's, until he woke up one day and realized Ino had faded from his life, leaving him no longer content with 'mediocre' and instead chasing wildly after the slim possibility of a dream that could lead him to extraordinary.

Reaching Sakura's door, Shikamaru scrubbed his face vigorously with both hands, in an attempt to shake off the weariness in his bones. At his knock, Sakura answered and a note of surprise crossed her features when she beheld the shadow user's haggard appearance. "Oh, Shikamaru, can I help you?"

The strategist said nothing, instead he slouched a bit, massaged his throbbing temples to stave off the day-old headache he'd been sporting, and dragged himself up to his full height. "Where's Ino, Sakura?"

The pinkette's lips formed an 'o' before she uttered an uncertain "u-uhhh.."

He held up a hand, cutting her off. "and before you answer that, let me make this clear; I've been running my ass ragged for 2 fucking weeks now, between missions, reports, meetings with the council and escortin' Temari all over kingdom come. I'm tired. I hurt all over, and I'm pissed off that no one seems to know where the fuck Ino's been. Something's going on with her, and I know it's got to do with me because she's been avoiding, and hiding from me for fucking days on end. So whatever answer you're about to give me, it better not be an excuse, because I'm sick of this – bullshit."

All during Shikamaru's rant, Sakura had stared in wonder at the man; for all his legendary laziness and gloomy moods, Shikamaru was never one to lose his temper. As a strategist, he was known for being sharp, cool, and calculating in the way he dealt with every situation; there was never any room for second guessing or emotions running high, in Shikamaru's book; it simply added too many unpredictable variables to the board, and the Nara thrived on absolute order and focus.

Today, he was anything but 'calm' as he stood before Sakura, voice tight and raised a few octaves, nostrils flared, demanding that she give him an answer regarding his teammate.

…there was also a trace of desperation lurking in his eyes and in the lines of exhaustion that marred his face; Shika looked like shit, and she couldn't believe that her best friend had actually driven the normally impassive Nara to this state.

"Okay, Shikamaru, I get that you're upset – calm down and I can-"

"I don't – need you telling me to calm down, Sakura, I, ughhr…!" He snapped. Clenching a fist, he pressed it against his mouth, suppressing the urge to shout, then closed his eyes, and took a calming breath before he continued, "I need you – to tell me – where Ino is."

'Damn it, Pig what the hell are you hiding from Shikamaru that's got him like this?!'

"Okay. I understand." Sakura held both hands aloft in a placating gesture. "she's been here at my place. But she's out right now, so if you want to see her, you're more than welcome to wait inside." With that, the pinkette stepped aside and gestured for Nara to enter; he did so wordlessly, and seated himself rigidly on her couch.

After a few minutes, Sakura offered to make tea and during that time, Shikamaru settled himself, leaned forward and dropped both elbows to his knees. His hands came together, forming the infamous circle/thinking pose, and the Nara felt the agitation ease from his shoulders, and he allowed his eyes to close as his mind descended into a meditative state.

It felt like hours, but it was only minutes, before Sakura reappeared; "Here. Listen, before you ask, I honestly don't know anything. She made me promise not to ask questions…which honestly, made me suspicious right off the bat; and now that I'm seeing the state you're in, well…" she gestured at him, her lips pulling into a sympathetic frown, when he just cut a look of weary frustration in her direction. He was about to take a sip of the tea, when he felt a familiar chakra spike just before the door opened.

He masked his own, motioned with a finger to his lips, for Sakura to keep quiet about his presence, and ducked into the guest bedroom.

It was a split second's decision, but the pinkette knew whose side she was on at that point; Ino would probably be pissed, but she'd come around after a time. Besides, Sakura had a gut feeling that helping Shikamaru was in fact, the best thing to do for her blonde best friend. Hiding like she'd been the last few weeks just – it wasn't Ino, and despite her promises not to ask questions, Sakura had other ways to do a bit of digging on her own. "Hey, I'm just in the living room." She called out, and the blonde bustled in a second later, dressed in an ankle-length black gypsy skirt with a side slit reaching nearly to her hip; she'd paired it with what Sakura felt was the most hideous shade of olive green, that sat off the shoulders, but was lightly gathered at the hem, so it hugged Ino's torso, riding up as she moved. It looked like the girl had gone and fashioned a shirt out of a tweed Knapp sack, but then that was likely the point of the 'disguise'.

"Ugh, honestly Ino, you're back in my house now, can you just – drop that ridiculous henge?"

'She's henged? ' Shikamaru thought in confusion, and moved just enough so one eye could see through the middle crack between the door jam; sure enough, there stood Sakura next to a tall chestnut haired woman, and upon closer inspection, her gate was identical to Ino's; so that's why he hadn't seen the blonde in days. She'd been wandering about this village in a bloody henge, that was so nondescript, it would've fooled anyone who wasn't looking closely.

Fists clenching, the Nara's blood began to boil as he realized that Ino had been so desperate to conceal herself, that she'd blatantly deceived them – him with an underhanded ninja trick; disguise just enough of yourself to blend in with the crowd, and you'll go completely unnoticed.

Her eye color was the same, if not just slightly muted in tone, but it was hardly enough to not recognize Ino in those eyes… what the hell was she doing?

"Listen, you should know that Shikamaru came to see me today. "

The words barely left her mouth, before the other woman's henge evaporated, and she was whirling on her friend. "Sakura, you promised!" The now-blonde shrieked, and Shikamaru's heart kicked up a notch at the sound; 'gods I've gotta be some kind of sick sadist, to have missed that.' He thought morbidly, dragging a hand down the length of his face, but he'd long since given up denyingwhatever the hell this was he felt for Ino; might as well face the reality and accept it. Less troublesome that way.

"Hey, I promised I wouldn't ask; I didn't say anything about if your teammates decided to come banging on my door. "

"What did you tell him?!"

Sakura huffed irritably. Instead of answering her friend's demand, she instead decided it was time to get to the bottom of this.

"Not much, but he looked pretty rough, to be honest… idk, I'm thinking maybe, maybe something happened with him and Temari?"

She watched the blonde closely; there was a turn in Ino's expression. Her lips thinned, arms crossed over her chest, and she turned aside with a careless, "Yeah well…that's not really my problem, is it?"

"You're not worried? I mean, it's Shikamaru, Ino, he's not typically one to take things so personally…it seemed pretty serious-"

"Well, that's his problem. He's the one who decided to – date her, so…it's not like he's stupid, he knows that drama comes with – romantic r-relationships, so…" the blonde gave an indifferent shrug as she turned to her shopping bags and began emptying the contents.

Sakura had noted her closed off posture at the mention of Temari; she also took into account her friend's uncharacteristic lack of interest in what could be some of the juiciest piece of gossip; Shikamaru finally had a girlfriend - Suna's princess to be precise – and they could be on the outs.

…how was Ino not jumping at this?!

It didn't make any sense.

"Ino?"

"Hmm."

"…did you and Shikamaru have a falling out?"

Ino paused, not meeting Sakura's probing eyes.

In the guest room, the Shadow user held his breath; finally he was about to get his answers as to why Ino had been blowing him off.

"…why do you ask?"

"Well," the pinkette stood slowly to her feet and crossed the room to sit by her friend. She absently pulled one of Ino's bags towards herself, and started pulling out random things. "It's just that from what Shika had said earlier – that he hadn't seen you – and the fact that you wanted to stay at my place for a few days, no questions asked…it just seems suspicious to me."

The blonde heaved a heavy sigh, carding a hand through golden tresses. "Why does it matter? Say we did having a falling out; why are you so worried about it?" she was beginning to get defensive, and that's when Sakura dropped all pretenses and the gloves were off.

Standing to her feet, the pinkheaded medic crossed her arms and cocked a hip. "Look, Ino. I don't know what the fuck is going on here? But you need to fix it. Stop behaving like a child; this is screwing with your team;" she declared sharply, and pointed an angry finger in the direction of her front door. "Shikamaru looked like hell when he showed up at my door, and God knows what Chouji is feeling at this point. I may be your best friend, but those two boys are the best damn thing to happen to you, so don't you dare jeopardize that over some high-strung emotional hang up, that's not-!"

Instantly, Ino buried her face in her hands and burst into tears.

It wasn't uncommon for Ino to breakdown, so the reaction itself didn't come as much of a surprise. What shocked Sakura was the sounds emitting from her friend – the sound of her cries, were gut-wrenching. The kind that only came from some deeply-rooted grief that had been building over time. The last time Ino had made that sound, was the day of Asuma-Sensei's funeral.

Sakura will never forget the heartbreaking sight of her friend, prostrate and inconsolable…nor the look on Shikamaru's face as he cradled her in his arms, holding her together even as she fell apart.

Suddenly, that image came into a sharp focus in the pinkette's mind, stunning her intro silence. Her eyes cast about as she searched her brain for an explanation – a connection from that moment, to the present situation. There was something there. She could feel it.

"…Ino…" reaching out, she placed a warm hand upon the blonde's trembling shoulders. "What's going on? You need to tell me because – this isn't you; you're not okay, honey and I'm really getting worried that you're -"

"I think I might love him!" The blonde sharply hiccupped.

". . .W-What. . .?" Sakura's eyes were round in disbelief, and she gaped at her friend.

A few more broken sobs escaped, then Ino raised tearful eyes to her friend; her expression was stricken. "…y-yeah. I th-think I might – when I was out at lunch with Cho and Kurenai several days ago, uh…it came up that Shikamaru and – Temari, were g-going out." She noisily wiped her nose on the back of her hand, and continued, "I just thought – first I thought 'why wouldn't he tell me? ' Ya know? Then I just couldn't get the whole 'wow, Shika's got a girlfriend' thing o-out of my head. It was like - that's all I could think about for the rest of the day, and then I just f-felt – sick and-"

"Pig, why haven't you talked to him? You have -"

But the blonde's eyes rounded in panic "No, Sakura! I can't! You said it yourself; 'don't you dare jeopardize your team over this'; this is why! I can't ever t-tell him about this! He's - he's g-got a girl now anyways, even if he didn't, this would ruin everything! You know the kind of guy Shikamaru is; I'm-!" the blonde held herself fully for her friend to view, and declared mournfully, "I'm n-nothing like what he's looking for, Forehead…and I'll never be, so -"

A sudden commotion from the other room, drew the women's attention, and then there was a figure standing in the doorway, trembling, fists clenched at his sides, and dark, almond eyes lit with fury. "What the fuck, Ino?!"

The blonde gaped dumbly at her childhood friend and longtime teammate. Then there was a choked sound of fear and betrayal that echoed from her throat as she once again rounded on Sakura.

"…How could you, Forehead?! He was – you h-had him hide the entire time?! What the hell?!"

Wordlessly, Sakura got to her feet, cast a look between two of her closest friends, before green eyes settled on Ino, who was gazing at her with utter betrayal written across her features.

"Look. You can hate me all you want, Ino. But I won't apologize; I still hold to what I said. You hiding, isn't worth screwing up what you guys have. Running from Shikamaru isn't protecting him, or solving the problem." With that, the pinkette grabbed her things and turned to leave, before giving her best friend one final look. "You need to fix this, Pig…" she spoke lowly, but firmly. "You need to talk to him."

With that, she turned and looked at Shikamaru. The shadow user nodded, a look of appreciation and respect deepening the browns of his eyes, before he once again looked squarely at Ino.

The pinkette knew it was her time to exit; this was her apartment, but she knew her friends needed safe, neutral ground to hash it out. So she didn't mind.

"Take your time." She murmured more towards the strategist, and then she was gone.

The second the door closed behind her, Shikamaru Nara inwardly braced himself for what was coming; he took a cleansing breath, eyes closing briefly, before opening once more as he fully turned to face his newest 'foe'. Arms folding over his chest, the dark-eyed Nara drew himself up to his full height and set his eyes firmly upon Ino, who still stood across the room from him, fuming, teary-eyed and shaking from head to toe.

"Start talking." He bit out;

The fight was on.

《》

"What – what do you expect me to say?" the blonde knew she was only delaying the inevitable, but she wasn't ready for this. Not now.

"Explain," Shikamaru answered tightly, eyes cutting into slits. "why for the last two weeks you've been avoiding me, only to fucking hide from me for the last three days!" He shouted.

Ino shivered; his ire was a rare thing to behold, even less having it directed at her. The Shikamaru she knew, was lazy, unmotivated, annoyed yes, and crazy smart.

But angry Shikamaru; that was something she'd seen only once in her life – when Asuma was killed.

"I don't – I didn't-"

"Bullshit, Ino; come on you've been like this for weeks. Do you have any idea what I've done to get you to talk to me?" he gestured angrily, "Do you have any idea what you've been doing to me?!"

His accusations bristled the blonde, and losing all sense of timidity, her blue eyes ignited with indignation, and she fired back, "Oh, I'm sorry, what you've been through? You haven't the faintest idea what I've been going through, Shikamaru."

"No, because you weren't talking to me!"

The bitterest laugh emitted from the blonde and her voice was laced with sarcasm as she threw up her hands, "Yes, because of course you have sooo much time now!"

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" he accused, and Ino whirled on him; tears were flooding her eyes and even amidst the throes of righteous anger, Shikamaru registered how much he hated seeing her cry.

"Seriously?! You have a girlfriend now, Shikamaru! You really believe I'm the only one whose been MIA lately? Newsflash, asshole, not the case."

"Ino!" a look of hurt flashed in his eyes, and Ino instantly regretted cursing him.

Name-calling wasn't unheard of in their relationship, but it had never escalated beyond 'lazybones' or 'chauvinistic pig'; far be it from Shikamaru to refute any nickname that befit him to a T.

But this – this crossed an unspoken line between them, and Shikamaru was left with the bone-deep hurt in the wake of it.

"…Shika, I didn't mean that. I – I'm s-sorry I just-"

"We all know you always say whatever's on your mind, Yamanaka…" he cut in exasperatedly.

For several minutes, there was a heavy silence that fell between them, neither exchanging anything save a look that spoke more than any heated words hurled between them.

The tension between them began to smolder, giving way to other emotions that up to this moment, neither one had been fully aware of, or willing to speak, aloud. "Ino…" Shikamaru began gently, but her warning look stopped him,

"Don't."

"Why won't you just talk to me?"

The blonde released a growl of frustration, tugging fingers through her blonde tresses, "I said Don't, Shikamaru!"

"What, 'don't' what?!" He hissed angrily, more hurt leaking into his voice, replacing the fury.

"Don't – look at me like that! D-Don't look at me like-"

"- I've missed you?" he finished her thought, and the blonde inhaled sharply, darting wide eyes at him.

Another pregnant pause, and the remnants of anger completely drained from the Nara, replaced by a bone-deep tiredness and aching longing. "I have. Why hide it? I've missed you – like crazy, Woman." He confessed, expression twisting into disappointment tinged with grief. "I don't get why you'd work so hard to hide from me; we've been friends since birth, Ino. You're the best damn friend I could ever ask for, and I-"

Unable to withstand it, Ino covered her mouth and broke down once more.

After a moment, she gasped. "I c-can't, don't you g-get it? I – this would r-ruin e-e-everything, Shika; I'm trying to keep that from happening!"

"But you don't have to! You're the one who isn't 'getting it' Ino; I don't care about what my mom thinks, about Temari, or – any of it. I just care about you. You and Chouji, but right now…right now, you're the only one I care about."

His dark eyes had softened, pleading, willing her to understand.

". . .Shika, you-"

"I want you, Ino." He stated plainly. "And I know you want me, so cut the bullshit and just fucking admit it already!"

Her blue eyes widened to saucers and her mouth fell open.

His expression deepened into that sad smile, and he just looked at her, unveiled love and fondness showing in his dark eyes. "Crazy, isn't it? We've both had our own plans for what our futures should look like; who'd have thought everything we wanted, was always right there in front of us."

At his words, Ino laughed, only to cry even harder when he approached, and she felt strong arms envelop her as Shikamaru pulled her against him.

For a long while, she sobbed helplessly into his shoulder, until at last, Shikamaru pulled back and cradled her face in his hands, wiping the tears that fell down her cheeks, with the pads of his thumbs.

"Shh, Ino…that's enough crying, Honey…"

"No, you don't understand," she gripped his wrists in both hands ". . .we can't, Temari's-"

Shikamaru's eyes hardened and his hold on her jaw firmed as he tipped her chin upwards so she would look him in the eyes. "Is that why you've been so upset? Because of Temari?"

The blonde pressed her lips together, attempting to turn her face away, but the Shadow user held her fast.

"Ino," He prodded. When she stubbornly refused to respond, he pushed further. "No, it wasn't just Temari; you were upset because I was with her. You – you were jealous of her. Because of me, weren't you."

"Ughh! So what if I was, Huh?!" She shot him a scathing glare, looking for all the world like a feral wildcat being held against her will.

Something ignited in his gut at the thought, and the heat seeped into his almond-shaped eyes. "You were jealous!" He gasped in astonishment, a smirk of disbelief forming on his lips just as the blonde bit out a snarl. "Oh, shut up!" She struggled against him, then momentarily froze as the look in his eyes intensified, and his face drew closer to hers.

Her sky blues iced over and she pushed a palm against his chest. Shaking her head, "Don't - don't. You. Dare kiss me, Shikamaru Nara I swear – itwillbethelastthingyoueverdo!" She screeched at him, but the man ignored her, easily overpowering her until she was so tightly wrapped in his embrace, there was no way to tell where she ended and he began; they were nose-to-nose and his expression was threatening – his eyes flicking down to her lips and back again – before he breathed hotly 2 words; "Make me."

Ino's eyes doubled in size; she went boneless, and Shikamaru took the chance, dipped his head and caught her lips in an open-mouthed kiss.

In that instant, the air between them, exploded. Unbearable heat suffused their skin, intensifying wherever they touched, and Ino whimpered helplessly, giving up her fight against him. Her fingers clenched into his Jounin vest and Shikamaru shuddered, groaning into her mouth as his face screwed up in painful desire.

"Ino – gods, Ino…" he delved shaking fingers into her hair, tugging her head back sharply so he could deepen the kiss.

Ino had no choice but to throw her arms about his neck and hold on for dear life; Shikamaru dipped her back, devouring her mouth with teeth and tongue, leaving Ino to wonder 'since when was Shikamaru such a devastating kisser?!'

Green eyes flashed in her mind, and Ino was once again reminded of the other blonde who had claim over her childhood friend.

"…Shikamaru." She pressed fingers to his lips and shook her head sadly. "Regardless of what we feel – T-Temari doesn't deserve this. ."

A growl rumbled in his chest, and Shikamaru gripped her obstinately. "would you stop talking about her? This is just you and me-" the blonde pushed out of his arms and the Nara threw up his hands. "Damn it, Ino! Stop being so – fucking stubborn, come here!" catching her wrist, he whirled her back into his arms, her back pressed flush against his chest.

Both were panting, and the Shadow user used one hand to turn her face towards him. He pressed his face to hers – nose to forehead – and his voice was heavy with emotion and resolve. "Tell me you don't feel the same way. Just – tell me you don't want me, and I'll walk out that door right now."

She bit her lip, looking back and forth between his eyes, "I – don't want you." She murmured firmly.

His eyes narrowed. "Liar…" He caught her in another quick kiss, than turned her in his arms and cradled her cheek tenderly. "You may be a master at manipulating the mind – but you can't fool me, Yamanaka."

She released a shaky breath, feeling his lips just barely brush against hers, and said "I thought – you said you'd walk away if I told you 'no'…"

The dark-eyed man paused, his eyes dropping from hers for a few seconds, before he shrugged, meeting her gaze once more. "I never claimed to be an honest man, either." His eyes were pools of smoldering earth that left Ino breathless.

Shikamaru had always been vastly overlooked in every department, aside from his intelligence; Ino knew however, that there was so much more to this seemingly lazy, unmotivated man – he was deeply sensitive beneath his shell of stalwart solidity, and he possessed a rugged beauty that was sorely underestimated because of obvious pretty boys like Naruto and Sasuke.

Shikamaru had that dark, mysterious bad-boy look, but it wasn't the same 'bad-boy-I'm gonna-fucking-murder-you' vibe that Sasuke gave off.

Shikamaru's was a quiet, unassuming quality that would only consume you if you took the time to uncover it; his eyes were endless deep wells of intellect and feeling, that he concealed behind a mask of boredom and indifference. It served to ward off those he didn't deem trustworthy enough to bare himself to – but there was a key that he entrusted to only a select few who were fortunate enough to be precious to him.

. . .Ino had learned long ago, that she was one of those people; she just hadn't known how deeply special she was to him – until now.

"Shika…" she breathed, and then he was on her again, lips crushing hers with a bruising force, before he released her, bent down and threw her over his shoulder.

It was nearing sunset as the tall, lanky shadow user stalked purposefully to the guest room where Ino had been staying, and promptly dropped her upon the bed.

She landed on her back, bouncing a little, and then there was a guttural sound from the man standing before her. He held up two fingers, dark eyes smoldering with promises; "Kubishibari no Jutsu…" he uttered darkly, and shadowy hands sprung forth from his silhouette upon the floor, snaking up the bed before latching onto Ino's bared ankles. She inhaled sharply; the sensation of his shadow jutsu was exceedingly restrictive…yet she could tell Shikamaru was in full control of the pressure; it was bizarre how a mere shadow possessed actual sensation; then she felt one of the shadowy hands slithering up her calf, to her knee and squeezing ever so slightly, before the 'hand' disappeared beneath the slit in her skirt, slithering upwards, upwards, until-

She hissed, and then let out a startled moan when she felt the shadowy fingers caress her inner thigh.

Face hot with want and shame, the blonde fell helplessly back to the bed, biting her lip as she uttered a plea, "please, Shika. . . oh gods, don't!"

His onslaught continued, more spidery shadows reached forth at their master's bidding, entrapping the woman who began to writhe as their hold turned increasingly erotic.

By the end of it, Ino's wrists and feet were bound securely by spidery fingers, and several shadows wrapped and twined around her thighs, torso and even one shadowy hand dared to snake up and over her breast, the tips of its fingers dipping just beneath the neckline to brush across her skin.

The blonde was a whimpering, panting and writhing mess at this point – and completely at Shikamaru's mercy.

He walked forward, slowly, till his legs hit the bed, and then he licked his lips – eyes hungry – as he tilted his head and gazed down at her, trapped in his handiwork. "I think – I like you just like this." He breathed huskily; one of his shadows disappeared at the apex of her thighs, and Ino's eyes widened, before the most wanton cry escaped her trembling lips. She twisted and writhed against the shadows hold, then stilled when Shikamaru took a knee to the bed, and his form loomed above her without actually touching her. "In fact – I think this is the ideal punishment; you left me tortured within my own thoughts and wanting…I think it's only fair that I- return the favor…" with that, he dipped his head and pressed a lingering kiss to her exposed collarbone. Ino cried out then, all hesitation and embarrassment fleeing in an instant as she fixed desperate sky blue eyes upon his earthen orbs. " – Shika – damn it, Shikamaru, please. Please don't do this to me! I get it, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, p-please just -"

"'Please just' what, Ino?"

She bit her lip against another cry as tears formed in her eyes, threatening to fall.

She knew she deserved this; to be driven to want him so badly, only to be denied. It was calculating. It was cruel.

It was effective.

The man above her with eyes melding to coals of fire, drew closer until his mouth was at her ear and he whispered wickedly, "You know what I want. My offer still stands; tell me truthfully that you don't want me – and I'll leave. I'll walk away, and I'll never touch you again."

A beat of silence, and then there was a broken unintelligible whisper, followed by a deep, "What was that?"

Then a keening cry tore from her lips and the blonde thrashed, practically screaming out, "I want you, I need you! Pleeeaaaaseee….!" The rest was lost in a gut-wrenching sob that ripped through her body in a violent shudder;

The sadistic gleam in Nara's eyes dissipated, and he commanded his shadows to soften their hold upon Ino. Conceding, the Male crawled over her, hands and knees planted on either side of her head and hips, and a heavy desire permeated his voice and pooled in his eyes. "Do you surrender, Woman?" he questioned lowly.

A shaky nod. "Y-Yes." She panted, gazing unwaveringly up into his eyes as that unbearable heat began to pool in her belly again.

"Then tell me,"

"I want you." She said hastily, cutting him off. His dark eyes narrowed, focusing.

For the first time since this whole thing started, Ino's expression softened and she allowed the truest most alluring smile to touch her lips as she reached up a hand to cradle his cheek. "I want you, Shikamaru. You. Always. It's only – ever been you, t-there's never going to be anyone else-"

His lips cut her off and she sighed in pure ecstasy when the weight of his body finally settled upon hers.

Her knees parted, welcoming him into the cradle of her hips, and the Nara released a strangled groan of pure need when she gyrated against him.

"Kuh! Ino, you – fuck, woman…"

"Yes…exactly;" eager fingers clawed the back of his shirt up, before she tore it and his vest over his head and cast it aside. Her hands slid hungrily along his lean, sinewy frame, and she arched when his hands splayed against her bare back; he'd rid her of that horrid olive green debacle at some point, and she found herself highly pleased at his quick thinking.

At the moment, Shikamaru's mouth was busy dragging down the length of her throat, till he decided he'd take an experimental nibble at the apex of her neck and shoulder.

A jolt of pleasure rocked through her, and she rolled her hips into his, "…gods, you are – wicked." She breathed hotly. His answer was a pleased hum against her skin before he suckled a mark into her flesh.

"And you taste fucking sinful…" he rasped, lifting his head and meeting her in an open-mouthed kiss that was all teeth, tongue and unbridled passion."

Their mini makeout session lasted several minutes, before Ino was the one to pull back and meet his eyes. "Shika." She held his gaze as her knuckles absently caressed his face in downward strokes.

"Is this…this is happening. Isn't it?" Her question was a little breathless, and the shadow user deduced it came from the same place as his own sentiment; who would've thought they'd end up here?

The world was an incredible, scary, unpredictable place, yet for the first time in his life, Nara Shikamaru thanked every God in existence, who intervened inhis own well-intended plans.

Without that, he wouldn't have Ino with him in this moment; she was the most beautiful variable in existence.

"…Yeah." He spoke at length, earthen eyes deepening into a profound look of love and devotion. "It's happening. And I ain't got any intention – of ever letting it stop…" His grin was devious and promising, and in a burst of spontaneity, the shadow wielder attacked his blonde with voracious tickles; she shrieked, wriggled and thrashed against him, her laughter ricocheting off the walls of the room and resounding in his heart. Lastly, he pinned her down – both of them panting and breathless from their playful exertion, and he pinned her with a threatening look, before he descended, peppering her with kisses growling into her neck, while she shouted his name, giggling uncontrollably.

"…Caught you." He stated; his look of severity melting just before he planted a kiss to her lips, eyes warming with deep seated affection.

The battle had been a fierce one, but it was concluded, and in the end, Shikamaru had reclaimed his sunshine; her light was brilliant, pulsing warmth that fed the dark, shadowy places of his heart.

《》

NOTES:

Please tell me what you think, because I'm dying to know!

Xx