A/N: I'm happy my readers seem to be feeling at least a small sense of gratification, finally. I know I've been stringing you along for a while... For some reason, you guys think I'm gonna stop doing that. Heh. Actually, I hope the happy little interludes don't spoil it for you drama junkies. If so, I apologize! Also, some have asked about Temari. She will show up again toward the end, but only briefly.

Okay, enough rambling from me. I hope you enjoy this, and let me know what you think. Just remember, writing short chapters is what lets me update three times a week.

Shikamaru stared at the blanket spread out before him, wondering what he had become. Rubbing his temples, he sighed at the basket of food he had obtained from Naomi. He suspected she had fulfilled his request simply to get him out of her hair, but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Feeling insecure about free stuff was not only troublesome, it was stupid. He was tired of being stupid.

Apparently he had been acting stupid for a long time, and he wondered if his time with Temari hadn't happened for the sole purpose of increasing his confidence and learning how to please a woman. He had feared for his health when confronted with Temari's ire, but he found it was his heart that took the worse beating when he dealt with Ino's displeasure. Sure, Ino beat on him from time to time, but she never really tried to hurt him. Mostly they were attention-grabbing gestures.

His eyebrow twitched as he realized how troublesome a relationship with Ino was going to be. Neither one of them was great at voicing their feelings, which meant he was going to have to work at it. He hated work. Ino, for example, had fought with her very best friend for years over a boy she just sort of liked, just to get her friend's attention. Well, also for revenge, but that was a Yamanaka for you, or so he understood it. He knew he was in for a bumpy ride, but he was sort of excited for it, something he wasn't used to feeling.

After thinking about it for a while, he decided that it was uncharacteristic for him to go through so much trouble without any clear goal in mind, and that hormones were to blame. What did he want from Ino, he wondered as he lay back on the blanket and watched the clouds. He wasn't used to wanting things.

"Sorry I'm late!" he heard her chime, and he sat up, watching her bound up the hillside. Her hair was hanging in golden sheets around her, one of the few times he had ever seen it down.

"Hey," he replied as she plopped down on the blanket next to him.

She cocked her head, eyes wary. "What, aren't you glad to see me?"

"Of course I am."

"Then why don't you seem happy?"

He studied her, his eyes following the curves revealed by her lavender camisole-style top. She didn't seem too upset with him, which was a good sign. Maybe she had decided to take the high road? "Have I ever seemed happy?"

"Come to think of it, not often," she agreed. "The last time I saw you really smile was at the festival when we were sixteen."

"That was the worst night of my life," he grumbled without thinking, wincing as he saw flames rise in her eyes.

"What do you mean? I thought we had a great time! I primped for that thing for hours, and you didn't even enjoy yourself?" she said, voice rising in pitch as she spoke.

He raised his hands in defense. "No, that's not what I meant! I just meant, well, it was the best night of my life, until your boyfriend showed up."

Her face fell, her fingers plucking at the grass next to the blanket. "Oh, right," she murmured.

He waited until he caught her gaze before speaking again. "That was my first kiss."

Blue eyes widened as she stared at him. "I was your first kiss?"

"Yeah. I've been comparing every single kiss to the way that one made me feel ever since."

She blushed. "Well, it's not like I wanted to leave you standing there…" she mumbled.

Sighing, he sat up and poured her a glass of wine. "Listen, I think there are some things we need to get straightened out. A lot has happened to us and between us over the years."

"It's not too much trouble to talk about it?" she said, an edge to her voice.

"See, that proves my point. You're bitter about something, and I want to know what it is."

"I could say the same for you."

He waited, but she didn't volunteer any more information, instead staring into her wine as she swirled it around in her glass. Pushing a plate of bread toward her, he watched as she ate, but still she said nothing. Was he going to have to do all the work? "I'm bitter because I always wanted you to look at me the way you looked at Sasuke, but instead you just kept looking at other people. I figured that you'd never see me as anything but your punching bag, so I moved on. I wasn't what you wanted. I wasn't handsome, talented, or strong enough for you, and so when I found someone who did like me, I took advantage of the situation."

If he was expecting her to say something, he was sorely disappointed, for she simply dug in to the food he had brought. Sighing, he joined her, slowly chewing as he watched the sun go down. He was starting to think he made a mistake, telling her what he had pent up inside of him for so long, and he was about to pack up their supper when he felt her hand on his. "Shikamaru, I was always waiting for you to notice me, too," she murmured. "I didn't know what to do when you didn't seem to care about me, so I tried to make you jealous and finally just tried to forget about you."

Shikamaru nodded, relieved that he had advance warning from his friends, otherwise he would have been hurt and shocked hearing it from Ino. It was the first time he actually approved of Sakura's meddling. "It was all just miscommunication," he muttered.

"So many wasted years," she sighed, holding his hand a little tighter.

He pulled her close to his side and tentatively put his arm around her shoulder, mulling her statement over as they watched the sun go down. The stars came out, the sounds of crickets rising from the grass around them, and a gentle breeze stirred Ino's hair. "How do you feel about me now?" he whispered, almost afraid to know the answer.

"I don't know," she said with a bitter laugh. "I used to have the biggest crush on you. You hurt me badly, though, going with Temari. I don't want to forgive you, but you're one of my best friends. I feel like you understand me, even when I don't understand myself. I admire you and respect you, which isn't something I can say about most people, and I'm proud of the shinobi you've become. I think you're very handsome, but I just don't know what to do."

He blushed, surprised by her outpouring of emotion. Handsome was also not a word he would have used to describe himself. "Okay," he said under his breath.

"How about you?" she asked, fixing him with sparkling eyes.

"You're the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on," he breathed, gaze distant as his brain summoned forth impure images. "You're smart, confident, and talented. You understand why I like the things I like, and while I wish you wouldn't beat on me or yell at me so much, I can see why I would frustrate you."

Ino broke into laugher, her slender frame shaking with mirth beneath his arm. "Shikamaru!" she gasped between guffaws.

"What? What did I say?" he asked, annoyed.

"I only beat on you or yell at you so you'll pay attention to me. It actually has very little to do with what you say or how you act. It's because I'm frustrated with you for other reasons, not because you annoy me, although sometimes you do."

"So you don't hate me," he growled. "Well, there's the source of our problem right there. How about this: you treat me like you like me, and I'll treat you like I like you."

"Sounds good to me," she grinned, then let her expression fade a little, gripping his hand tightly. "So, is this it, or do you think you're going to want to see me again?"

"Oh, I want to see you again," he drawled without thinking, and he was startled as she slipped out from underneath his arm.

"Do you want to see me like this?" she asked, lowering him to the ground and cuddling against his side, her fingers dancing over his chest.

"Yeah," he replied, his voice almost a moan. Turning to the side, he pulled her even closer and inclined his head, kissing her. It was her turn to moan as she leaned into him, her free hand reaching up and cupping his jaw. He felt his body temperature rise as euphoria set in. He had dreamed about this moment for so long, and now that it was finally reality it was even better than he thought it would be. Ino fit into his arms perfectly; there was none of the jostling and readjusting that he had experienced with Temari. Ino's slender length was pressed all along his body, and her skin was unbelievably soft where he stroked her muscular arm with his thumb. He wanted more of her taste, and just as he moved to deepen the kiss felt a sharp pain on the top of his scalp. "Ow!" he growled, releasing Ino and swatting at his head.

Ino grinned. "You have a visitor," she giggled.

He snarled and swung at the brown bird fluttering around him, extremely annoyed that his perfect moment had been ruined. Glancing back at Ino, his heart skipped a beat as he saw her golden hair spread out all around her in the starlight, her lips dark from kissing. She was stunning.

Another yelp escaped him as the bird pecked his head again, and he finally snatched it out of midair, fully intending to strangle it until he noticed the note tied to his leg. "Great," he grumbled, releasing the strip of paper and reading it over as the bird flew away. "I have to go," he said, standing.

"Right now?" she asked, eyebrows furrowing.

He pocketed the note. "I'm afraid so. Would you mind taking this stuff back to Chouji's? And thank them for me?"

"And for me, too. Do you know how long you'll be gone?" she asked, arms wrapping around herself as if she was cold.

"No, I don't even know what I'll be doing yet," he admitted, pulling her up to standing as well. "But I promise I'll come back as soon as I can."

"Be safe," she murmured against his chest. "I don't know what I would do, if I lost you just when I finally have you."

"You won't," he said firmly, and meant it. He kissed her one last time, not wanting to leave her and savoring her warmth and flavor. "I'll be back," he whispered, kissing her on the forehead for good measure, and disappeared into the night.