Part One:

The troublesome Kidnapper

"S-Shikamaru...?!" Ino exclaimed both in surprise and curiosity as she looked back. She just can't believe her eyes seeing her most hated person standing right before her with the usual bored and jaded look. And just how nice would it be to know that her kidnapper is none other than the genius guy himself?

"Try not to struggle, Ino. You're just making my mood worse..." Shikamaru said frankly.

Looking down, she noticed her shadow being somehow—uh—connected to his shadow as if he was using... "Kagemane no Jutsu??!!!!" she blurted out.

Shika just shrugged off and sighed. "I'm just taking safety precautions. I don't want you to ruin everything just to escape... particularly that glass window over there."

So that explains. She can't move earlier because Shikamaru had used his ever-so famous Shadow Manipulating technique which she should've noticed quite earlier for he has been her teammate during their pre-teens. How stupid of her for not noticing!

She then knotted her eyebrows and shouted in fury, "Release me in an instant, Nara Shikamaru!!! Don't let me do something that I am forbidden to do so!"

Shikamaru quirked his eyebrow probably in amusement and dared, "Then would the troublesome Yamanaka Ino show me what is it that she is forbidden to do so?"

Ino wanted to clench her fist and slap Shikamaru's face but unfortunately for her, she was still under Shikamaru's Kagemane no Jutsu and she could only fight back verbally. "How dare you call me 'troublesome' when you're the one who made the troublesome things come into my life?!!!"

"Woah.. calm down Ino... See? That's why I had my Kagemane no jutsu ready—just in case you blow up."

"Shikamaru!!! Release me now and I want to go home in an instant!!!!!" Ino scowled.

Shikamaru could only smirk at the young lady's retort. Everybody knows how spoiled Ino is. She was even known as the 'spoiled, rotten, rich brat'! But hey, he can't deny the fact that he missed that scowling face and her ever-so annoying voice so much that it was the only thing he could hear and see during his mission days.

And here he is, cornering her in the middle of nowhere with his sacred feelings unrevealed.

"I... I just want to go home, Shika... Please bring me back to my daddy..." Ino pleaded and bursted into tears as she continued to mumbled in between sniffles. "I...I want my daddy... I want my room and I want to go home!!!!"

Slowly, Shikamaru released off his chakra letting Ino fall down her knees and sobbed hard. If only Ino knows how hard it is for him to see her crying that hard, to see her suffer because of his own selfishness and to see her that upset with him around the premises.

Yeah, it hurts. It hurts profoundly.

But hey, didn't he just say earlier that he is a stupid person? "Look, Ino. I have no bad intentions why I brought you here. I do not intend to hurt you or harass you or anything. Well, I'm just here to make a deal with you..."

Ino, as tearful as she looked, managed to glance up at the senseless Jounin and asked, "W-What deal...?"

Shikamaru took out something from the inside of his flak jacket and held it to Ino. "Reading this might answer your troublesome question..."

Ino took the papers and scanned through the pages. It appears to be some sort of contract which—as had been stated there, that her parents as well as the other Jounins and Chuunins had agreed upon. It says:

Yamanaka Ino is well bounded to marry no other man except for Nara Shikamaru by the day after she read this contract. She should sign this and should never disobey for if she does; she will be stripped off from her position as a Chuunin and would no longer have a place to live in Konoha. With this, we expect utmost cooperation from Yamanaka Ino who's going to be Nara Ino very soon... This contract is only good for one whole month and after this, Yamanaka Ino would be free of responsibility. Please read the list of rules on the following pages. Thank you and God bless you two.

Note: this has been agreed upon by the parents of both concerned parties and the other Jounins and Chuunins.

Signed,

Uzumaki Naruto (Hokage-sama)

P.s: Good luck, Ino!!!

Ino could only remain silent as she read the list of rules. All that flutters inside the walls of her mind was she getting married to Shikamaru tomorrow...

'I would be Nara Ino... tomorrow...'

Shikamaru and her haven't undergone a 'close' relationship and never had she undergone it with any other guy ever before. In fact, she only wants Sasuke-kun to be her FIRST and LAST boyfriend and her LIFETIME husband but never in the world's most craziest ideas did this picture would ever come out! She is going to get married to Nara Shikamaru that never had been her most liked person. And why is it that it has a limited time? For only a month?

Not that she wants to be Nara Ino forever but it seems really strange! Don't you think so, too?

"I... I... would be... N-Nara Ino... t-tomorrow... r-right?" I asked unthinkingly.

Shikamaru glanced at the bewildered lady and shrugged. "Yeah... So, now you get it why you are sooooo troublesome?"

Ino nodded.

Much as he wanted to explode in too much happiness, he tried to hide it away by turning his back and saying boredly, "Well, to tell you frankly, I guess you have no choice there but to agree. Not unless you wanted to go back home by foot and go down this mountain all by yourself at this time of night? Hmp. What do I care anyway? I'm just telling the possible outcome."

Ino gulped and shook off her head. "Fine! I will marry you, Nara Shikamaru! Just... Just promise you're going to bring me home after a month!"

"Of course, I would. I can't stand having such a troublesome lady bugging off my peaceful mansion..."

"Now, wait a minute!" Ino folded her arms. "You don't mean to tell me that this—this luxurious mansion is YOURS???!!! It's just way too impossible!!!"

Shikamaru snorted, "Then you're just a troublesome idiot that didn't know Nara Shikamaru could even buy a soul..."

Ino stared at the wedding ring which Shikamaru had slipped through her fingers. It was an amethyst jewel sprinkled with diamonds on the sides adding elegance to the sacred ring. Ino still can't believe that the Nara family has a secret wealth that only a few people were fortunate to discover.

Like her, perhaps.

"Oi! Ino!!! Would you please cook faster?!! My stomach is rumbling troublesomely already!!!" Shikamaru called out.

She knotted her eyebrows in annoyance as she began to stir the concoction. "If you would not shut up, my dear husband, I'm going to turn you into knuckle sandwiches! Now would you please tell your stomach to stop rumbling troublesomely because if you don't, I'm going to take off that shit stomach out of that lazy ass of yours!!!?"

She heard Shikamaru whistle and it only made her blood boil—and not the food.

Shikamaru watched the back of his wife-by-force as she hastily prepared their food. He ignored her complaints about why is his mansion doesn't have any cooks and why are they sharing in one room—one bed perhaps and why is he looking at her with such freaky ways and why isn't he listening to what she is saying and blah... blah... blah... blah...

To hell with those protests because Nara Shikamaru just wants to enjoy this dream-come-true of his.

'Nara Ino... how long have I waited to hear that?' Shikamaru thought.

Just then, Ino sat down and the maids served their food. One of her masteries is cooking and probably that's why her couch potato husband let her be the cook. She looks at him and noticed that he was still absent-minded and is staring at the middle of nowhere.

"Shikamaru, I thought you were hungry!" She snapped.

No response.

"Nara Shikamaru! Listen to me when I talk to you!"

Still no response.

"My dear husband! Would you please stop daydreaming and eat the food that I wholeheartedly cooked for you?!!!"

That made the trick. Shikamaru blinked for a few times and looked at the food. He then glanced at her and asked, "Uh... Did you say something?"

She began to slice the meat and placed it on his plate. "Nothing. I barely said anything."

For the past few moments, they ate in silence. Both having their own thoughts about the sudden events and changes in their lives. Ino was too occupied about her being Nara Ino in an instant. She was just having some talk at Sakura's house telling her about some weird things and then... with a poof, she was inside a huge mansion owned by the Nara family and she suddenly became a part of it.

A part of the Nara family.

She doesn't know if she should be glad and overwhelmed about it or despise every living day she spends with the asshole in front of her. She could only sigh in surrender.

Well, it's only for a month anyway. It won't take long until she goes back to Konoha and be the carefree and happy-go-lucky spoiled brat for the rest of her life. She just have to undergo some sacrifices dealing with Shikamaru's stinking behavior and after it, she would never see his face ever again!

That should do it.

"I'll just take a nap. You do what you want..." Shikamaru said and stood up from his chair. He walked out the dining area and headed upstairs. Not that he hates being with Ino. Of course he loves it! He loves every moment he spends with her and nothing could change that.

Except maybe the fact that she was just forced to keep him company. Well, come to think of it, she really IS forced...

Ino stared in bafflement as he went upstairs and disappeared from her view. Now what is his problem? She cooked the food for them for 4 whole hours and he didn't even finish what she placed on his plate.

Ino sighed and stood up. Could she really live up and survive the whole month living as Nara Shikamaru's wife?

'Maybe... I should go talk to him... After all, we can't stay like this forever.'

She walked towards the staircase and headed towards her room—their room rather.

She found him lying on the bed facing away from her. He doesn't appear to be sleeping but appears to be pretending to sleep... as if she would believe his dog-and-pony show. Well... whatever happens..

She just hopes it would not turn out to be troublesome...

Shit. She's been hanging around Shikamaru too much lately!

A/n: THANK YOU FOR ALL THE REVIEWS!!!! I'M GLAD I DID A GOOD JOB FROM THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER!!! Thank you very much and I promise to update soon!!! I love you guys!