A/N: Thanks for the reviews! A couple of replies: Epyon-Zero1- eh, I write it for me, and if the readers are happy, then we're all lucky! That's why I like reviews; they let me know if what I needed to write made the readers happy. They also poke holes in my plots, alert me to discrepancies, and all sorts of good stuff. Thanks for your wonderful praise of my style! It's nice to be reassured I actually have a style. Rain2004- I'm really happy you think I'm keeping everyone in character. That means a lot to me, for the challenge of keeping the characters in their original character is one of the biggest reasons I write fanfiction. To all who left reviews, I really appreciate it. Your thoughts, opinions, etc. are all very important to me. I'd love to know what you thought of this latest installment. Constructive criticism is always welcome.

His teammates hadn't lied- Konoha really was five hours away. He entered the town just before sunset, not bothering to look at all the decorations hung about. Would Ino still be waiting for him, or would she hate him for the rest of her days? He clenched his teeth and kept running, ignoring the burning in his legs and the pounding of his head. It felt like sparrows were trying to claw their way out of his stomach. Why was he even bothering to hurry? He shouldn't care what she thought. He didn't care what anyone else thought. As soon as the thought crossed his mind he knew it was stupid. Of course he cared about her, she was his friend. Despite how she acted, she was actually very capable of understanding him, and he thought she did. She was one of the few that had taken the time to do so, and, because of that, he wasn't going to let her down. He might be lazy, but he was loyal.

He sped past pedestrians, narrowly avoiding shoving everyone aside as he desperately made his way towards the park near the river, where the main portion of the festival was held. Old ladies and children alike hastily stepped out of his path as he rushed towards the park, able to see the glow of the lanterns as darkness replaced the fading light. The sounds of voices raised in pleasure were carried by the winds to his ear, and even though he knew it was impossible, he tried to sift Ino's laugh from the noise. His heart hammered in his chest with both exertion and anxiety. What if she had decided to leave the festival, too ashamed that she had no one to accompany her? What if she was disappointed? What if she had gone and found someone else to give her an enjoyable evening? His heart lurched again and he wondered why he was so frantic. What did it matter?

It mattered because it was the right thing to do. Shikamaru might have been a lazy slob, but he always tried to do the right thing. Ino was his friend, and he would do right by her. A tiny voice in the back of his head whispered seductively that there was another reason he was doing it, but he dismissed such a thing as impossible. He was lucky enough that intelligent, smart, spirited, insane Ino was his friend. Thinking of her as anything else was sheer madness. Ino had moved on from Sasuke eventually, latching on to other boys, strings of them at a time. Sasuke- now there was an unfortunate bastard, he thought, then allowed his thoughts to rocket back to Ino. More often than not, Ino dumped the boys she dated, but she had cried on his shoulder after someone she cared about, or thought she cared about, left her. Stupid teenage relationships, he thought. That's why he wasn't interested. They were too much damn trouble.

He blew past several displays and food vendors, not even stopping as he grabbed a single flower from a florist and threw his coins on the counter. "Keep the change!" he cried out, nearly plowing over a middle-aged man, then put on an extra bit of speed. Sunset was nearing with every second, none of which he could spare. If only he could get there in time!

Rounding a corner, he dashed along the dirt road, a small cloud rising behind him as the dust settled on his sweaty, blood-streaked skin. He was a mess and he knew it, silently berating himself, then letting it go as he remembered there was nothing he could have done about it. The bridge appeared in his sights, and he willed his legs to keep running. His muscles were feeling like shredded, rubbery meat, the aches traveling up his legs and into his hips. In fact, he knew that if he stopped to pay attention to it, his entire body would feel like hell. The traffic on the road was surprisingly light, and as he neared the bridge he could see a lone figure standing in the middle, face turned towards the sun as it dipped towards the horizon. "Thank god," he whispered, and began to slow down, merely trotting as the soles of his sandals hit the wood of the old bridge.

The figure on the bridge was indeed Ino, her large, blue eyes widening as she took in the sight of him. Her face sagged a bit in an expression of sadness, her full lips turned slightly downward at the corners, her rosy cheeks pale. She was striking with her young figure, her hips and breasts just beginning to ripen beneath the fabric of her kimono. Her winter straw-colored hair was piled on top of her head and secured with jeweled hair sticks and combs, exposing her long, creamy-skinned neck. His mouth went dry as he took in the sight of her, the silk of her blue-violet kimono, which was embroidered with a pattern of vines in silver and gold thread, fluttering in the breeze. As she turned her head, the delicate, deeply sapphire earrings she wore bobbed to and fro. He swallowed hard and walked towards her, trying not to slouch and think too much about how dirty he was. Her eyes lit up as brightly as the sky, her pale skin touched with pink and gold from the setting sun, and her lips parted in a brilliant smile.

"Hey," he said, feeling awkward. He put a hand behind his head and offered her the flower with the other, arm extended. "I'm sorry I'm late. My mission ran long." He saw no need to tell her how he'd almost been in serious trouble, or how he'd run so hard to get to where they were standing.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, reaching for the flower, which he had just realized was a coral-colored rose. "For me?"

Shikamaru watched as her strong, slender fingers wrapped around the stem of the rose and gently took it from his grasp, cradling it gently as she brought it up to her nose.

"Yeah, for you," he murmured, looking down at his feet. He felt even more filthy standing next to her radiance.

"Wow, it smells so good!" she exclaimed. "And the hue isn't common in this area. I've never been given this color of rose before."

He blinked at her. "Oh… Good?"

She giggled and winked at him. "What do you think our friends would say if I told them what you gave me?"

Shikamaru groaned. He didn't want people to know he was giving Ino roses. "Let me guess, it has a meaning. I just picked it at random."

Her red lips continued to curve in a smile as she spoke. "All roses mean love, but this color also means desire."

Something constricted in his stomach, which in turn made his throat feeling like it was closing up. "Oh, okay," he mumbled, trying not to stammer. She lifted the rose to her nose again, closing her eyes as she sampled its scent. He noticed how thick and long her eyelashes were against the smooth, rosy skin of her cheek. "Uh, so I'm really, really sorry I'm late. Thanks for not giving up on me."

Her eyes fluttered open and she looked at him, her gaze serious and soft all at the same time. Shikamaru growled inwardly at how annoyingly complex females were. He knew she was thinking something, but had no idea what it was. "I wouldn't give up on my best friend," she said, smiling. "I was worried, though. We can talk about it after the sun sets, okay?"

He nodded, surprised that she hadn't ordered him to run home immediately to put on some clean clothes. Turning and resting against the railing of the bridge, he felt her stand very near him, her body heat radiating through the silk of her outfit. He noticed that her obi was the same rosy-orange as the sunset, with hints of pale gold, with blue flowers stitched on it. The flower coordinated perfectly with it. A smile crept its way across his face, and he turned his attention back to the sunset. It was spectacular in its variety of colors, and for some reason he felt very insulated from the noise of the festival. The whole world consisted of him and Ino, watching the sun set in silence. It was a beautiful display, and just when he nearly felt himself lost in its glory, he felt a hand slip into his. He tensed, feeling the soft skin against his palm. No, it wasn't perfectly smooth- the fingers and palm were slightly calloused, as a ninja's hand should be. It was a hand of beauty and deadly strength. In that moment Shikamaru fully comprehended the power of a kunoichi.

The silence between them lasted until the sun disappeared behind the trees and mountains. Ino turned to him and squeezed his hand. "It was lovely, wasn't it?" she breathed, squeezing his hand.

Shikamaru nodded, staring at her. He hadn't known Ino could be so beautiful. He was so used to her screaming at him all the time that his thoughts of her were usually of her voice, not her appearance. His palm was sweating, he realized, and so he removed it from hers. "Oh, jeez, now your hand's dirty," he grumbled, whipping a clean rag from a vest pocket and wiping at her skin.

She giggled. "That's okay."

He stared at her. Since when was being filthy okay with Ino? Well, aside from when they were actually on missions? She had no problems being dirty then. Ino was full of steel on missions and only concentrated on what mattered. "Huh?" he replied, then nearly slapped himself for making such a stupid comment.

"Yeah, because we're going to your place right now and you're going to freshen up. It won't take you long, right?"

He blinked, feeling as if she was speaking a different language, she was so difficult to comprehend. How embarrassing it was for him, for such a genius to quickly become so stupid. "But my house is on the other side of town. Aren't we going to miss the festival?"

"Oh, come on," she said with a sigh, and grabbed his wrist. They bounded across the rooftops, using their training to their advantage, and were at his house within no time. A fresh round of sweat was trickling down his spine, but when he looked at her, not a single hair was out of place. Her cheeks weren't even flushed. Damn, how did she do that? He always looked like crap no matter how much he trained. His fingers formed the unlocking jutsu to his family home clumsily, then held the door for her as she walked inside.

"This'll just take a second," he said, moving up the stairs towards his room. Ino wandered about the living room, picking up ornamental objects his mother had placed around the room, examining them, and replacing them.

"I should hope so," she replied, arching an eyebrow at him.

He almost didn't want to leave, since he wanted to fill his senses with her as long as possible. He didn't think he'd ever forget the way she looked tonight. She made a gesture with her hands to hurry up, so he stepped lazily up the stairs until she could no longer see him, then he sprinted noiselessly to his room. An outfit was laid out on his bed, clothes he didn't recognize. For once he silently blessed his mother, for he knew that the new outfit was her doing. Maybe he'd actually look good enough to be seen with Ino, for a change. He flung himself into the shower, shaved, brushed his teeth, dried himself with a jutsu, and quickly pulled his unruly hair back into a topknot. Dashing back into his room, he threw on the clothes as quickly as he could, and then made his way downstairs as if he had taken all the time in the world. He appeared on the stairs and looked down at her, surprised as her eyes widened at the sight of him, then directed themselves at the floor as a blush spread across her cheeks.

Shikamaru glanced down at himself in a panic, afraid his fly was undone, then remembered that hakama didn't have a fly. His mother had chosen a very traditional outfit for him, but the colors were right for his skin and allowed lots of freedom of movement. Sometimes his mom was awesome. "Ready?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied, still blushing. "That was quick."

"Well, I'm pretty low-maintenance," he answered, slipping on his shoes and ushering her out the door.

"That's an understatement if I ever heard one," she laughed, throwing back her head.

He knew he should be insulted, but it was just Ino, his friend, teasing him. It was too troublesome to get wrapped around the little things. He knew what she meant, and that was good enough. In spite of himself, however, he found his own mouth curving in a slight smile. "Yeah, yeah," he grumbled. "Now let's get ourselves to this festival."

The grin she gave him in return lifted his heart as she grabbed his hand and towed him back towards the celebration.