Day to Day

A Naruto Fan-fiction

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any bands mentioned, with the exception of Star Pirate Ship.

(A/N: I know, it's been forever since I've updated! My auditions for GSA were last week, and I was staying up until I couldn't hold my eyes open anymore each night working on my stuff for it! In any case, the votes came in as follows: Neji and Tenten with two, Naruto and Hinata with one, Sakura and Sasuke with one, and Ino and Shikamaru with a whopping five! So, here they are, on their second chapter!)

Chapter 14: Mae

After a warm weekend, which almost never occurred in the heart of winter, the cold had returned with a vengeance. The winds blew fast and hard today, swiping across cold bodies like dragging claws. You could tell by the thick, gray clouds, that snow would soon fall, or thick rain. Although this wasn't the best welcome, it was enough to suit even the least weary traveler.

Moonlight spilled over the girl in the red chair. Her hair fell around her face in long blue strands. She tucked a piece behind her ear with her free hand, and then put the hand back around the warm cup of herbal tea, partly covering the other one. The sleeves of her long-sleeve shirt covered her palms, and showed only her fingers. Her nose was red, and her eyes gazed up through the window.

She had put her chair and table from her sitting room in her apartment right up next to the window tonight, so that she could gaze up at the beautiful night sky. It was so clear tonight, and the moon illuminated the sky. She coughed, and then leaned back, looking up, sipping her tea.

Everything in the sky seemed so far away. She wondered a moment what her life would be like if her world extended beyond the boundaries of her home, family and friends. It was almost impossible to imagine.

She sipped the tea, and sighed a moment. It was so wonderful to be home, in the comfort of her apartment with a blanket and a mug of herbal tea. Did he have these same luxuries? The question sat in her mind a moment. He could've stayed in a hotel or camped out. She hoped he was warm. Suddenly, she wished she had made him take the very wool blanket that she was now curled up in. At least then she would know he was warm, not freezing somewhere.

That morning, she had pulled out the paper and checked the weather, trying to see if it was cold where he was. She didn't know exactly where he was, but she would scan the international reports and bite her lip, hoping he wasn't where that blizzard was supposed to come in, or where there was just a sand storm. Every day he was gone and she was home, she checked the weather, looked out her window for him, and wished she had made him pack something. Now it was a blanket. Yesterday it was more antidotes.

"I'm going to drive myself crazy." She murmured, and rubbed her face with her sleeve. Her eyes drooped, and only light smiles could grace her face.

Of course, she knew that Shikamaru did the same thing. After all of the years of fighting together, it was unnatural for him not to have her to watch over. For her, it wasn't as bad; she watched over him as well, but the excitement of being a full-fledged ninja was too much. Shikamaru had always considered himself to be like an older brother when they were out on missions; now he had to leave his job to someone else. Every time before Ino left, Shikamaru would narrow his eyes and tell her to watch her back. He would shove extra weapons in her bag, and try to add ninjutsu scrolls to her vest. She would usually catch him and take them out, but then she would open her bag on her mission and find them right where he put them, despite her taking them out. When she got home, he would make her show him her wounds, if she had any, because he knew that she was horrible at dressing and cleaning wounds. When he got home, she would come and quiz him about the mission, making sure that no assassin was going to come after him for revenge. Shikamaru was careful not to divulge important information, and just stuck to facts that could be true for any mission.

In fact, just before Shikamaru had left, he had visited her. He had checked each of her kunai with an expert eye, and told her what he always did: "Watch your back."

"Shii-kun, I'll be fine!" she had replied, and rolled her eyes.

Now, she just felt a small smile grace her lips. Her and Shikamaru's antics where like mother hens watching over their chicks. Neither meant to be an annoyance or over protective, but more just wanted to insure the other's safety.

Taking another sip of her tea, she noticed the wisps of steam coming from the cup. Things always seemed to look interesting through a thin steam, like a fogged illusion. She brought the coffee cup down again, and looked out the window.

Again, she was hit at how clear and beautiful the night sky looked. Each star could be seen, each constellation illuminated.

"Shikamaru, do you see this too?"

Her question rang out in the silent apartment, and was not answered. She closed her eyes a moment, trying to imagine him, sitting in a warm room with his own cup of warm tea. She wished so hard that he was just that way, comfortable and safe.

With an even wider smile, she thought of New Year's. After watching the O.C., she had decided that she wanted to spend her New Year the same way. With a sly smile and a perfect plan, she had left her apartment. She had bounded down the hallway and walked right into Shikamaru's apartment without so much as a knock, and found him asleep on his couch.

"Wake up, you lazy thing! It's almost two thousand five!" She pushed the boy and yelled the words in his ear, making him shout and push her away.

"No! I'm tired!"

Shikamaru had grumpily covered his head with an extra pillow and curled back up, his lip sticking out. For the average person, it would be totally impossible to get him up-but Ino wasn't your average person.

Stifling a snicker, she leaned down on her knees so that she was face to face with Shikamaru, and placed her hands in her lap.

"Please." She wined, and made a puppy face. "Pretty Please? For me?" When he wouldn't open his eyes, she pecked him on the head, continuing to pout.

She knew he was listening, and just a moment after the third "please", he opened one eye to look at her. Annoyance was an understatement for the boy, but Ino had always had him, as well as Chouji, wrapped around her little finger. With a sigh, the boy had rolled out of his bed, and sat up.

Beaming, Ino had flicked on the TV to the count down, and pulled Shikamaru off the couch. He couldn't stifle a smile when he saw her excited eyes looking at the TV, and feeling her hands grip his tightly.

"Five! Four! Three!" Then Ino was looking at him, mouthing each number with a sly smile.

Remember, Shikamaru had just woken up. The idea that Ino was planning something unexpected hardly crossed his mind.

"ONE!" As soon as that number was shouted, Ino had leaped on him and planted a big kiss on his face. Out of complete instinct, Shikamaru had managed to catch her legs when she threw them up around his sides, and return the surprise kiss.

'Should've known.' He had thought, smirking.

It was nice to live just down the hall from one another, as always. They spent a lot of time together because of that, and both of them enjoyed it.

Things weren't always fairytale stories, or even remotely as romantic as some others were, but it worked.

After all, opposites attract.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shikamaru stood in front of his mirror and looked at himself, partly annoyed. He hated having to check himself before he left. That was girl stuff-not guy stuff. But he knew that even Sasuke cleaned himself up and checked himself in the mirror when he got dressed, so the habit seemed not too bad. Although, unlike Sasuke, he couldn't just dash out the door looking perfect-he had to make sure he didn't have a bit of poptart or something on his lip, or a smear of something on his cheek. The theory was that Shikamaru had picked up the disease of eating messily from Chouji, and Ino had been able to slip by because she was a girl, and everyone knows girls are always self-conscious and practically narcissist.

He, however, could care less.

What stared back at him in the mirror was a boy with a striped beanie with a ninja headband around it, a ponytail of short spiky hair that stuck out the back, a gray jacket, black pants, and boots. He stuck out his lip, thinking of how much he hated having to dress up or down. Ino had informed him on many an occasion on the workings of one's wardrobe, and he had learned because he enjoyed going places with her.

Satisfied, he walked out of his door and locked it behind him. Sticking the key in his pocket, he began to walk down the hallway; hands shoved in his pockets, a plain look on his face.

Down the hall was her apartment, and he paused before it, considering consequences.

"Oh well."

He finally just pushed open the door and walked it, shutting it closed behind him. Ino's apartment was a clean one, but messy. Slippers sat in front of the couch, a pile of newspapers were spread over the kitchen counter next to an empty coffee cup, and snowy clothes sat in a melting pile by the door.

"Ino?" he called out, not moving, just raising an eyebrow. His hands were still in his pockets, and he slouched a little.

Finally, a blue head popped out of a door.

"Shii-kun?" she asked, and gripped the side of the door. He lifted an eyebrow higher, wondering why she was hiding behind the door.

"Um, I just got out of the shower. Give me a sec, okay?"

"Sure."

Ino disappeared back behind the bathroom door and shut it behind her. Shikamaru just walked to the couch and sat down on it. He unzipped his jacket, revealing a green shirt, and picked up some papers that were sitting on the table.

It was the international weather report, and she had circled three areas; two with a blizzard and one with a dust storm. He put his elbows on his knees, and wondered what she could be using this for. The date in the top corner was form last week.

"Shika?"

Ino emerged from her bathroom now, clad in jeans, a long-sleeve purple shirt and a striped rainbow scarf. She smiled, and tucked a bit of her blue hair behind her ear. Ever since she turned fourteen, she no longer had her hair up unless it was a mission.

Shikamaru tossed the paper on the table and sat back, taking it in. She didn't take as long as she normally did.

"So, um, what's up?"

She walked over and sat down beside him, glancing at the paper on the table and then up at him.

"Just thought we'd go out today." He said, and hooked his arm in hers. "Shall we?"

"We shall!" she replied and laughed. He waited while she pulled on her big white coat, purple gloves, hat, and boots. She tucked her scarf into her jacket, and then looked up at him.

"Let's go!"

He walked out of the apartment and waited while she locked it.

"So, where are we going?"

Ino looked at him while she pocketed the key, and he shrugged.

"I don't know yet."

"That's so you." She replied, and hooked her arm into his. "How about some place warm, hm?"

"That might work."

The two walked through the stairway door and started down the steps.

"How about some place quiet?"

"That might work."

"How about someplace where we don't know anybody?"

"That might work."

"How about that restaurant in Reese?"

Shikamaru paused and looked up, as if he was thinking. Ino had wanted to go to that restaurant, called 'White Rose'. It was a casual restaurant with a beautiful indoor garden. It was almost never full, and served thick, warm soups, homemade dishes and fresh salads. Trying getting reservations was like pulling teeth. She had wanted to go for a while, but what she really wanted was for Shikamaru to invite her to go-not for her to bug him to death until he took her.

"That might work too."

His words irritated her, but she hid it well. Shikamaru could tell she was upset despite her effort to hide it, though, and gave her a kiss on the face to some how beat back her camouflaged annoyance.

When they made it to the door, Shikamaru cut in front of her and leaned toward her, rubbing his nose against hers.

"It's a surprise, so don't guess a lot." He said, and smiled lightly at her. She felt a blush fill her face, and he kissed her on the lips this time, laughing at her embarrassment.

He pulled her out of the door, and the cold hit them like a slap.

"How troublesome." He murmured. He hated the cold.

"Well, I guess I'll just have to stay close to you." Ino replied. She held his hand, and leaned close to him so their hands seemed sandwiched between each other.

"Not this way." He replied, and then wrapped his arm around her and held her hand on that side. Ino looked up at him, and just figured it was a guy thing. She hadn't really expected him to want to be closer to her, but apparently that was just what he wanted. Lately Shikamaru had been different, more affectionate in public. In the comfort of their apartments he was always close to her, but out on the town he tended to be a little farther off. So far, he had kissed her in the lobby and held her close on the sidewalk. She thoroughly enjoyed it.

"So, my fair prince, what form of transportation are we to take?" she asked grandly, and then laughed.

"Well, since I'm too cheap of a prince to take a taxi, we will be using the art of teleportation." He said, and then suddenly, both with gone from the sidewalk.

They appeared again on another sidewalk, one that was of asphalt and slick with melting snow.

Ino's eyes were wide. She'd never really teleported before.

"This way, my fair lady." He said, and began to walk down the sidewalk.

It was obvious by the large buildings, crowded streets and designer stores that it was Reese City, and Ino felt a bubble of hope come up. Maybe he really was taking her there!

He guided her through the streets before suddenly stopping.

"Are you ready?" he asked, and smiled.

She nodded, and he gave her a small smile. He never made big toothy grins, in case you didn't notice.

Shikamaru lead the expectant girl down a different street, and what came into view astounded her.

Across the street, with its walls white at the top and murals at the bottom and green house, was the one restaurant she had wanted to go to!

"No! You didn't!" she exclaimed, her jaw ready to hit the asphalt.

The White Rose!

She yelled in shock and joyfulness, and hugged Shikamaru tightly.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're the greatest in the world!"

He smiled, and hugged her back. Her legs came up off the ground and he spun her around, so happy that his surprise had been a good one.

"Well, you almost ruined it on the stairs." He replied, looking at her.

They had stopped, and Ino now looked at him, flushed with excitement.

"Not totally." She said, "I mean, you could've just been taking me shopping or something. Not that I would've minded that!"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Do you really see me taking you shopping?"

"It was just an example-come on! Let's go get something to eat!"

She pulled him across the street and into the restaurant. He checked them in, and then walked in. Ino could hardly contain herself! Her eyes shined, as she looked around, so happy to actually be inside the nice restaurant. It was decorated simply with painted flowers, paintings, and even some abstract works of art. A mural decorated one wall, and on the ceiling was the depiction of a blue sky with paint.

People sat all around at tables, mostly couples. White Rose was known for not being a stuffy restaurant, but still serving couples, which was one of the many reasons why she had always wanted to go. It was also known for its exquisite, award-winning garden.

The two seated, ordered and ate, chatting and laughing. Shikamaru even found himself cracked smiles and admiring the works of art on the walls. After their meal, they walked hand-in-hand through the indoor garden, admiring the rarest and most beautiful flowers as much as the well-groomed roses. In toast to the restaurant's name, the indoor garden was lined with beds of white roses, and they grew up trellises on each wall.

"Thank you so much, Shikamaru." Ino said as they walked the aisles of the garden slowly. "This has been the greatest day ever." A smile filled her face, and she kissed him on the cheek.

As for Shikamaru, he was just happy that she was happy.

And besides-that place wasn't so bad. If it weren't for the name, he'd add it to his list of favorites any day.

Hey Ya'll!

I know, you guys are probably like "Where the hell were you?" Look, I just had my GSA auditions two weeks ago, and now I'm just now getting back into my schedule. Only, I now have a play in about two or three weeks, and festival practices once a week for two weeks, and then twice a week after that.

Eventually, I'm going to run myself ragged.

I named this chapter for the band that inspired it and that I listened to while writing it, and it is the band Mae! You should totally check them out!

Anyways, I wanted to make this one extra long and nice, since, well, I love you guys! And I felt bad about not updating in so long!

Um, one of my reviewers found a flaw: It's in one of the older chapters, where I tossed in 'as gross as Neji and Naruto smuggling porn back and forth'. Listen, I didn't know who was Neji, Chouji, and Rock Lee when I wrote that, so I just threw it in! They hadn't appeared in the manga, and I hadn't done research on them! I TOTALLY apologize!

I GOT TWENTY-ONE REVIEWS FOR JUST ONE CHAPTER!!!!! OMG!!!!!!!!

I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks SOOOO much to my reviewers:

Rachel (I hope you enjoyed this chapter-you asked for Shikamaru and Ino!), Bianca (Hey, maybe Neji and Tenten will be my next one! I hope you liked this one, though!), Ronkieboy (Yea, yea Sasuke's a little bit tough, right? I decided to lighten him up a bit so that things would actually happen-and just because that's the way I like to portray him here. I hope you enjoy it anyway!), warprince2000 (I love you, but can my story be complimented with different words?), puppie power (okay, so this one wasn't Sakura and Sasuke…but you totally liked it, right?), complexity66 (I'm like that when I'm tired too! Tell me what you thought of this Shikamaru and Ino story!), Smiling-Fox (you're great! Its so nice to have someone so positive cheering me on! I'm glad you like reading this!), KristiexxxNguyen (Whoosh to you too! Tell me what you thought of this chapter!), BrokenAngel, ForgivenDevil (Here's your Shikamaru and Ino! Is it sad for them to have two chapters now?), kodii chan (I hope you liked this one, and maybe Sakura and Sasuke will have the spotlight next time!), pink-writer (I love your screen name! Pink's my favorite color! Anyway, did you like this one?), AkiaBinZaid (Ah-ha! Here's your Ino and Shikamaru chapter! Actually, I tried to make Neji come across as shy about his feelings, and Tenten more reluctant to get into something unless the feeling was returned. Did it not come across that way? What'd you think of this installment?), Desert's Gaara (Um, Neji hits girls? I didn't really know that. Hey! I'm working on a story with Gaara! Look out for it if you like my style of writing! It probably won't be romance, but a more mental kind of thing. I hope you liked this chapter!), nonengel (thanks for reading my author's notes! It seems like quiet a few don't even look at the replies to them in this section! I hope you liked this chapter!), Ayane Selznick (I hope you like Ragnaork then! Actually, I really wished I had described the painting. It probably would've been a cool addition. Either way, did you like this chapter?), ayasi (the reason I haven't done a chapter with them all yet is because I think they kind of keep their privet lives separate, except for the girls. I like to focus on one couple so you can get a peek at their lives and relationship, and having more than one makes that confusing. But who knows! Maybe I'll do one later on. I didn't do a lot of interaction with the boys, but maybe I will next time!), ShenLi (Omg, when I got your review, I was like, WHOA! I'm reading one of YOUR stories, and I was like OMG! No way! I have never received a review from someone who I was already the story of! Whoa! By the way, you need to update. How'd you like this chapter?), taiki-kun (How'd you like this chapter?), sUmbOdi (Glad you liked it! Maybe Sakura and Sasuke will be up next! You never know!), UNKIND (Yea, I didn't update for a while…but I tried to make it longer! I hope you liked this one!),

Sephynarutocloud (Naruto never had a mask on during my stories, unless he was coming back from a mission, then he took it off. Are you implying something gross? Just asking! Thanks for reviewing!), NEJITENTENLOVE4EVER (you're a die-hard Neji and Tenten fan if I've ever heard one! Well, this one wasn't Sakura and Sasuke, but maybe it'll be them next time, or Neji and Tenten!), akira (You're the second person to say that Sasuke isn't himself, but I think I stuck to his character as well as I could! I'm glad you're enjoying these stories! Keep reading!).

Thanks guys!

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!

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