By: Sasha (attain_webmiss@yahoo.ca)
Rating: PG
Pairing(s): ShikaIno
Warning(s): none
A.N. This takes place a year or so after Ino and Shikamaru get together. So this is probably about two years before the epilogue of "It's All an Act," and will concentrate on what leads up to their actual engagement. This is a one-shot fic... and I'm sorry to say, it just sucks. Ah, I wish I could rewrite it...
"Ino, your father and I would like to have dinner with this Nara boy," Mrs. Yamanaka said. Ino put down her pruning shears and faced her mother.
Dinner with my parents. Could be bad, could be good... she thought silently, mulling the thought over. Her mother cleared her throat and Ino smiled apologetically to her mother.
"That would be nice," she answered. "I'll ask him tonight," she added.
"Actually, I was thinking tonight would be perfect. I went to the butcher's this morning and I have pork chops ready for dinner. Is he vegetarian?" Mrs. Yamanaka asked. Ino paled just a little. She knew that Shikamaru would do anything for her, but she didn't know if he was up to dinner with her rather nosy and sometimes judgmental parents.
"No, he isn't. Are you really sure about tonight? He was going to take me to town after we had dinner at the Ichiraku," Ino tried to say. Her mother stuck a hand up.
"I'm definitely sure. I think it's about time your father got to meet the boy who swept you off your feet. Besides, it'll give us a chance to see Shikamaru as himself. If I know you, you would use time to coach him in the right things to say to win us over. I think we deserve to see him as he is," Mrs. Yamanaka said, placing one hand on her hip.
"You think I would seriously coach him that way? 'Kasaan..." Ino started to say. Her mother just waved her off.
"Back to work. Kaede-sama ordered arrangements for her son's wedding, we need to start working on them now," her mother reminded her. Ino sighed softly.
Disaster, was the only thing she could think of.
Shikamaru's eyes were as wide as saucers.
"Your parents, dinner, me?" he asked, breathing a little erratically. Ino nodded.
"They'll hate me. Your mom already thinks I'm some kind of drug addict or whatever, and your father, I've never even met him but I can guess that he doesn't like me either!" Shikamaru said.
Ino grabbed his arm to stop him from pacing around. He was making her dizzy and she wanted him to calm down.
"Don't worry. My mom always hated the fact that I used to like Sasuke. She thinks you're okay. I told her that I'm in love with you," she added, hoping it would sway his decision. Shikamaru just shook his head.
"This is something pretty big. You haven't even had a formal dinner with my family. My parents have only seen you in passing. Ino..." he complained. She rolled her eyes. He had such commitment problems.
"You said you'd do anything for me. Don't you care that this is important? It means a lot to me. I don't want to do it either, but it's about time you suck it up and meet my father. I'm sure he'll like you. He's always wanted me to marry a smart man. You're not smart, you're a genius!" Ino said rather loudly.
Shikamaru conceded. The things he does for love...
"Fine. I guess it would look worse if I tried to get out of it, huh?" he asked, drawing her closer. Ino snuggled up to his side and laid her head at the juncture where his neck met his shoulder.
"Yeah. Besides, you can't say no to me. You love me too much," she said cutely, turning a little to place a small kiss on his jawline.
She was so right.
"Yeah, I know. I told you before, Nara men are whipped," he said softly. Ino giggled.
"We've got time before dinner tonight. I think I better tell you what could be in store for you," Ino said. Shikamaru groaned.
"I'd rather nap," he retorted. Ino pinched his arm.
"Fine. If you screw up, it's not my fault. Remember, it's all up to my father..." she warned. Shikamaru buried his head in his hands and moaned.
"Fine, fine, fine. Coach away," he said, exhaling loudly.
Shikamaru stood in front of his mirror, having traded his everyday netted shirt for a short-sleeved button up and slacks instead of shorts. He decided to keep his chunin vest on, just in case. A knock sounded at the door.
"Son, are you done?" his mother asked.
"Yeah. Come in," he said, taking a seat on his bed. Mrs. Nara walked in and gasped a little. Her little boy was becoming such a handsome man.
"Shikamaru, don't you look handsome!" she exclaimed. "Get up, let me see," she commanded. He stood lazily, watching her approve and gush about how dignified and smart he looked.
"You better get going. It's impolite to be late," she said, pushing him towards the door.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he said under his breath as he walked down the stairs.
"One 'yeah' is more than enough," his mother called after him.
Ino sat at her vanity, fully dressed but having no clue what to do with her hair. It wouldn't be a very fancy dinner, but she didn't want to be the one who looked rather plain. She knew that even Shikamaru would be dressing differently. She just didn't know how and how much.
"Dammit. I'm leaving it the way it is", she said, giving up. She left the room after taking one last glance in the mirror.
"It's almost time for dinner. Will he be late? That's awfully rude," Mrs. Yamanaka said. Ino fidgeted in her seat. Her mother was right, but she had no clue whether or not Shikamaru would be late. Before she could worry, a knock sounded at their door. She bolted from her seat yelling "I'll get it!"
"Am I late?" he asked softly. Ino shook her head.
"No, but another minute and you would be. What took you so long?" she asked.
"Had to get dressed," he said plainly. Ino's mouth made an 'o' when she took his outfit in. He definitely looked very nice. She felt herself blush a little.
"You clean up nicely," she said before pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. "Come on in," she said, gesturing to the foyer. He bowed his head a little and walked in.
"Mother, father, I'd like you to meet Nara Shikamaru. Shikamaru, these are my parents, Yamanaka Kaoru and Aki," Ino said. Shikamaru bowed deeply.
"It is a pleasure to meet you both," he said politely.
"Please have a seat. Dinner will be ready shortly," Mrs. Yamanaka said before disappearing into the kitchen.
Ino led him into the sitting room and offered him some tea which he gratefully accepted. At least he could hide behind the cup a little bit.
"You're a chunin, huh?" Mr. Yamanaka asked.
"Hai. I've been a chunin for about five years," he said. Yamanaka Kaoru nodded his head slowly.
"Do you plan on becoming a jounin any time soon?" he asked.
Shikamaru thought quickly. He knew in his heart that he was too lazy, but would it do him any good to lie?
"I'm not sure yet. Being a chunin is quite a big responsibility. There are missions that last for weeks and I don't like to be away from home for that long. Becoming a jounin is a risk. I like being close to home and Ino," he added.
Ino wanted to hug him. She knew he was being honest. They had a conversation similar to this one a few weeks back. He told her that if he was to become a jounin, it would mean a lot of time spent away from her and he didn't like that.
"Dinner is served," Mrs. Yamanaka interjected. Shikamaru wanted to exhale in relief, but he knew that once dinner started, it would be twice as many questions and about four times the possibility that he would screw up answering them.
"I'll get this first question out of the way," Kaoru started to say. "What are your intentions for my daughter?" he asked. Ino looked a little scared and Shikamaru was thankful that he was just about to swallow because he surely would have gulped before answering.
"Ino and I have been together for almost two years. I love her very much and I am very devoted to her. If you're asking about the possibility of us getting married, I can assure you that it would be something I aim for, for the future of our relationship," Shikamaru answered.
He'd joked around enough times with Ino. She knew that he would propose and he always said that he'd do it when she least expected.
"Are you asking our permission?" Aki asked, putting her chopsticks down.
Shikamaru glanced at Ino who was blushing quite profusely. He dared not take her hand into his.
"Yes. If you will let me, I would like to ask permission to marry your daughter. I know that this is the first time we have met, but Ino has been my first and only girlfriend. We've known each other almost all our lives. We know each other's habits and moods and we understand each other better than anybody else. So if you would let me, I'd like to marry Ino," he said.
Ino was about five seconds from grabbing Shikamaru and kissing him right then and there.
Kaoru and Aki looked at each other and then looked at the teen who was professing his love for their only daughter.
"If she'll have you," Kaoru said quietly.
Shikamaru smiled widely. "Thank you, sir. I only hope that I can make her as happy as she has made me," he said.
"Dinner was a good idea, wasn't it?" Ino asked. Shikamaru nodded. It was well past midnight and they were both sitting on the roof of her house, gazing up at the twinkling stars.
"I love you," she said softly before wrapping her arms around him.
"I love you too. Will you marry me?" he asked.
Ino looked up and a star glimmered a little.
"Yeah, you know I will," she said, grinning a little. "After all, you passed my parent's test. Isn't it strange how they seemed to say yes to a guy they just met?" she asked. He shook his head.
"I think they could see it in my eyes and the way you kept looking at me. They knew I was serious. Besides, your father left it up to you in the end. They were just approving," he said.
Ino nodded.
"I guess so. It's still so odd. They didn't question you as much as I thought they would," she said, still perplexed at the simplicity of her father's approval.
"I don't know then. Maybe they're good judges of character. Maybe it was something I said," he said softly.
Ino looked at him a little puzzled.
"What did you say that I didn't hear?" she asked.
He shook his head.
"Oh, I was just saying. It could have been anything," he said. "Anyway, I better get going. I've got a meeting with Godaime in the morning and you still need to help your mom with that huge order. Goodnight," he said, kissing her forehead.
She waved as he jumped off the roof and jogged home.
She looked up again at the same star that glimmered. "It sure was a good night," she whispered before slipping off the roof and into her room.
See? I told you it sucked. It was sappy (I think) and Shikamaru was a little (or a lot) OC. But BLAH. People have been wondering what led up to the epilogue. There you got what you asked for. And it sucks. AHHH... Anyway... I know I said I'd post GG right after this, but seriously, my final exams will kill me so I'm just going to post this and you can definitely expect that the night of April 27 (my last exam), GG will definitely be posted, as well as the epilogue to IAA. Thanks so much for reading and I'm sorry for making all you readers and faithful reviewers wait. If I have a chance, I'll try to rewrite this side story.
- Sasha