:::::Mendou na Koi :: Troublesome Love:::::

By: Violettachan

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and its related characters.

Summary: Shikamaru finds that love just won't leave him alone, no matter how troublesome.

The "...And He Says I'm Bothersome..." series will be a subplot within "Mendou na Koi." It will show what the other characters are thinking during their interactions with Shikamaru. Hope this format will not be too confusing. Enjoy.

...And He Says I'm Bothersome...

Part I: Ino

"Okay, Shikamaru. Let me just grab my pack so we can head out."

Great! It's just my luck to be called for a mission on my day off. Stupid Shikamaru...doesn't even have the decency to wait until after breakfast. Well, at least HE can think of something other than food. As the two trudged to their meeting place, a certain raven-haired boy caught her attention.

Oh my god!! It's Sasuke-kun. Thank god I had time to put on my new perfume. I just know he'll like it. It just screams "sexy vixen"! Sakura could never pull off this scent, that cry-baby.

"Ohayo— Sasuke-kun!! Ne— Do you notice anything different? Yep, it's a new perfume! Isn't it fantastic?"

"..."

Kya—I saw his eyebrows twitch. He's so cute trying not to show how much this perfume is making him want to blush!!

"Oi, Ino we're gonna be late."

"Urusai, Shikamaru. Stop bothering me! De ne, Sasuke-kun I know this totally cool café that just opened near my house. Do you want to go there with me after today's missions?"

What is his problem?? Can't he see I'm trying to talk to Sasuke-kun? I never bother him when he's trying to get a date...Not like he actually has the guts to talk to a girl, but whatever. If it happened I wouldn't act like such a jerk. He's SO immature.

"Look, he obviously doesn't want to talk or else he would have said something by now."

"Shut UP! He's being a good listener! Unlike you, baka."

Of course, he wouldn't understand Sasuke-kun's style. He has no idea how cool Sasuke-kun's mysterious allure is to girls. It's so obvious why Shikamaru doesn't have a girlfriend. Jeez, not a single girl I know even bothers to gossip about him.

"Hai hai. I got your point. See ya."

Finally! He'll be out of my hair. Ino smiled widely as she resumed talking to Sasuke.

"Ne— Sasuke-kun, where do you want to meet up for our date?"

WAIT!! Isn't Asuma already waiting for us? Damn it. I can't be late without him.

"WAIT!!! You can't go. Then Asuma will KNOW that you'd already let me know of the mission and it'll seem like I was being late on purpose! Stop being such a jerk! Ne, Sasuke-kun?"

Good, he's not leaving. Now I can put all of my charms to work on Sasuke-kun. I can't wait to see the look on forehead-girl when she sees us on our date!! However, Ino didn't see Shikamaru walking off as soon as she turned her back to him.

"So, the café? It's supposed to be really nice. You do like Italian, don't you? Oh, never mind. Of course you do. I've seen you eat pasta for lunch before. Well, anyways..."

As Ino was listing the details of their "date," she tossed her hair to give her "sexy tousled" look. That tore her eyes off of Sasuke; and as she happened to glance around, she noticed that her team-mate was missing. That BASTARD!! Why does he always try to ruin my chances with Sasuke?! Damn it! Team-mates are supposed to help each other out! Not sabotage each other's plans. Stupid, stupid, stupid... On the outside, Ino smiled sweetly to her Sasuke-kun.

"I'm so sorry, Sasuke-kun. We'll have to figure out the details later. I have to go now. I'll see you later, OK? Bye!"

As soon as she turned the corner, Ino's smile turned into a fiery glower. A little girl who happened to pass by gave a startled yelp and ran to hold onto her mother's skirt. Now where did that baka go? He can't be too far ahead; he's way too lazy to actually run. Ino rounded another corner and caught sight of the boy's bushy ponytail.

"Shikamaru!! I can't believe you left me! God, have you even heard of teamwork before??"

Of course, you haven't. You hardly even have friends. I swear I've only seen you hanging out with Chouji. That and the old men you play shougi and go with, but of course they don't count! Loser!!

"Answer me! Don't you dare ignore me!!"

"But I was just following Uchiha's example of being a good listener."

I can NOT believe he just said that. Like he could even start to pretend to be as cool as Sasuke-kun! Only Sasuke-kun can pull off the brooding handsome look! The only thing Shikamaru has going for him is his dark hair...but even that's all wrong. It's not soft and silky! It stands up on end in that stupid ponytail!

"Oh no you didn't!! How dare you mock Sasuke-kun! You're just jealous of him because he's so much better than you! And because he's so handsome and cool!" Ino continued to rant while Shikamaru completely ignored her. "...and he's totally into me WAY more than forehead-girl!"

So there!! Don't worry Sasuke-kun. I'll become the best kunouchi in the village and help you achieve your dreams! Ino smiled dreamily as she fantasized about a romantic wedding with Sasuke. I hope this mission will be something that I can rub in Sakura's face and totally impress Sasuke-kun with my prowess.

"Ne— Did Asuma tell you about today's mission?"

"No, he just told me to find you."

The two walked in silence for a while. Shikamaru started to relax and the permanent scowl on his face seemed to be lessening. He folded his arms behind his head and gazed at the clouds as he walked.

"So, Shikamaru...how come the mission came up so suddenly?"

"Oh, another team was supposed to go but someone got sick."

"Great!! We get the leftover rejects from some other team!!"

"You know it's not like that."

"Yeah right! If it was an exciting mission I bet the 'sick' member would have felt so much better mysteriously."

"...Yeah, you would do that."

"EXCUSE ME!!??"

As a gut reaction, Ino whirled around to hit him on the head as hard as she could. However, his protruding elbows prevented Ino from getting a clean hit before he went into a defensive stance. That didn't keep her from trying to get another blow in, but Shikamaru had always been good in defensive manoeuvres. BASTARD!! BASTARD! Bastard! Can't even be man enough to take your rightful punishment?! WIMP! Your half-assed apologies won't save you today!

"Ow. Stop hitting my head. I didn't mean to say that."

"Yeah! Well you should be sorry that you even thought that!!"

"Okay. Okay. I'm sorry. Jeez. Calm down. You'll leave permanent scowl marks on your face."

"WHAT!! No! I can't get wrinkles! What would Sasuke-kun think??"

Oh god!! What if I turn into a horrible, wrinkled, old lady and have to watch Sasuke-kun caress Sakura's baby-smooth face? NO!! I'll die before that happens! Anti-wrinkle-cream!! I know my mom has some in her makeup bag. I'll have to sneak some from her after the mission. The magazines are right. I have to start taking care of my skin early to be able to maintain my beauty after my teens. Sasuke-kun deserves a wife who will stay beautiful even after years of marriage. And he'll always be so handsome...Oh, I bet our babies are going to be the most attractive in the entire Fire Country!

Gazing dreamily at nothing in particular, Ino kept pace with Shikamaru towards the meeting grounds. As she slowly came out of her reverie, she saw Shikamaru humming as he walked.

What is he so happy about? He should be feeling guilty for completely ruining my morning! First he ruins my chance to get a date with Sasuke-kun, then he acts like an insensitive jerk!! Hmph! I can't wait to get there. Then, Shikamaru will stop bothering me and talk to Chouji or something. He's so annoying all the time! And he has the nerve to call ME bothersome!!!

To Be Continued

Well, so this is Ino's side of the story for chapter 1. It's a lot harder to capture her voice than Shikamaru's, since I have less emotional connection to her character... Not that I completely dislike her, but a scene with her, Sakura, and Sasuke is enough to make me grimace. I hope that this format will allow me to shed some light on how others view Shikamaru. This will become more important as other characters (and his future love) are introduced.

Again, I would love to hear what you all think. I know that a non-Shika/Ino may not be very popular, but I don't want to do something that's already been done to death. Plus, I don't think I can compete with some of the very talented writers who have dealt with that pairing in detail. So please, give this a chance 

Cheers,

Violettachan