Well here's the new chapter. Updated within two weeks as promised!
I actually was going to go farther in this one, but the length was getting out of hand. Nobody likes crazy long chapters.
You'll also notice Ino is in it too, but there's no possibility for a ShikaIno. ShIkAtEmA FoReVeR!
It's just to add a little triangle feel, and hopefully boosting the romance.
Well that's it. Hope you enjoy it.
P.S. – As always, any constructive criticism is appreciated.

Chapter 2: The return to leaf

Ino stared at the ceiling of her room, wondering about her future. Sasuke had been gone for more than 2 years now and she still felt a little bit sad about it. After all he was her first big crush and that something a girl never forgets… that only made it harder for her to even think about moving on. Up until this point she never though on anyone else she could be interested in romantically aside from Sasuke. She tough it was the same thing with Sakura, her rival, but she seemed to be taking it pretty good, certainly better than her. She was training with the Hokage with a huge determination. Being in the same team with Naruto and Sasuke had affected her; she wanted to become stronger now, even when she never really cared about that back in the academy. Ino had also grown, maybe not in strength but she definitely had matured. She wasn't as shallow as she used to, and so childish about everything she wanted, she was still too confident on her looks though, her biggest flaw. After all, seems like the pain she went trough got many things on perspective for her.

She had realized she had to move on. She had been wallowing on her sorrows for too long. Even if Sasuke came back, he was different now. He decided to join the enemy and literally decided to sell his body for the sake of revenge. Even if somehow he returned to Konoha, she knew a relationship with him could never be possible.

"But who else?" that was the question harassing her at the moment. Who but Sasuke could she see herself with? She had though about other Konoha ninjas but could not imagine herself with any of them. There was only 2 she hadn't though of, her teammates. She saw Chouji as a brother, and their relationship was certainly like that of a brother and sister. They fought constantly and she used to pick at him for his eating habits. She could never think about Chouji that way. But the other one… was different. A lazy ninja with no aspirations, and ironically a strategy genius of Konoha. Ever since the chunnin exam when the sand and sound attacked the village he gained that reputation. He could have become popular; after all, he was the only one to get promoted. But he prevented that from happening. Even though that would have brought him a lot of attention especially from the girls. He hated being noticed… and he hated girls.

Well it's not so much as he hates them, but he seems to reject establishing too personal bonds with females. As if he disliked the way they are. Ino had noticed that since they became teammates. Knowing that she couldn't switch teams, she decided to just accept the one she's been assigned, no point on having a bad relationship with 2 guys you're going to be spending that much time with. She did have a good relationship with him, she cheered for him back then and supported him but… every time she tried to get closer than that and get to know him better as a friend and team partner, he wouldn't take it seriously and often talk his way out of it. The time they spent together was only the one they forcefully had to, for missions or training. The few times they were just hanging, Chouji would have to be there as well, they were never alone. She never really cared though, she tried to be her friend and if he didn't want to it was his fault.

But lately… her mind probably subconsciously, had started to look at him differently. Knowing that Sasuke was gone she started to open her mind to a new love interest before she even realized. She had noticed him. He was growing more mature, and he had started to look more handsome to her. And he also had his genius intelligence. Without even knowing she had started to feel attracted to Shikamaru. And she understood that now. Now that she decided to let go of Sasuke it all seemed clearer. Shikamaru was the one… and she wasn't about to let it go this time. This time she would fight for him, with everything she had. She will not give up until the man she chose looks at her with different eyes.

"Not much of a fight though, hehe" she though, assuming that no other female had her eyes on Shikamaru, and Shikamaru didn't have his on any female either. Besides a girl as beautiful as her could never be rejected, especially by someone who doesn't have an instant appeal like Shikamaru.

Painfully but with a new objective in mind she decided to let go of the past and live the present.

-

Temari stared at the ceiling of her room with a smile in her face. Baki-sensei had just told her that her first assignment as a Jounin would be traveling to Konoha to assist the preparations meetings for the new Chunnin exam. She was going to see him again. She felt guilty about the feelings she'd experienced back then and even now after she was told the news. As if it was wrong. To her it was though, there was no reason for her to be feeling with she was feeling. Yet, she was looking forward to seeing him again. She still didn't knew what that would be like, but, she though that seeing him again could drive the feeling away. Maybe after seeing him again she would wake up from the idealized dream she made him. She decided to resume her sleep now. All her questions would be answered tomorrow.

-

Shikamaru stared at the ceiling of his room, laying on his bed with his two arms behind his head.

"Why is the Hokage so…" he whispered. Ever since she was appointed as a Hokage he felt she gave him too much attention... It all started with the Sasuke mission, then when she made him academy teacher and now this.

"Shikamaru, you will be an examiner on this year's chunnin exam" He remembered hearing… he would have declined but they way she said it was obvious it was an order.

"I'll guess I'll have to do it… hopefully it won't be too troublesome… it shouldn't be" He though. An examiner's job wasn't that hard anyways; just apply an exam, that's it. At least he hoped that was it. But the Hokage had told him to meet her in her office tomorrow for an exam-related assignment, which worried him. What else was he going to have to do?

- Next morning

"Right on time Shikamaru, as usual" Tsunade-sama said with a satisfied expression on her face.

"Yeah…" Shikamaru replied with a whatever look on his. "So why did you make me come here so early Hokage-sama? What does this have to do with the chunnin exam?"

Well your first assignment as an examiner will be escorting one of the ninjas from the other villages. It's very important work to take good care of the rest of the participants since most of the relations between us and the rest of the hidden villages strengthen in this exam.

"Great, now I'll have to be stuck with someone" he though "how troublesome".

"Let me see who is assigned to you… mmmm pages turning oh here you are. You will be escorting the ninja sent from the hidden village of… sand". Tsunade noticed a small amount of shock in Shikamaru's face.

"What's wrong? You feel uncomfortable because of what happened the exam 2 years ago? Don't worry; thinks are pretty solid right now with them" Tsunade assured him

"Meh, it's not that, but could I be assigned to someone else?" Shikamaru said.

"Well I don't know your reasons but changing anything right now is impossible. We can't have any unnecessary problems, show your ninja discipline and deal with it" Tsunade replied with a firm look on her face.

"Hai" Shikamaru sobbed showing some feelings of worry.

"Go wait at the gates, when that person arrives, meet me back here, we'll schedule the meetings and other details"

-

Shikamaru walked towards the gates wondering. "Out of all the sand nins what is the possibility of… it couldn't be her… I don't have that much bad luck" Shikamaru saw quick flashbacks from 2 years ago… he still felt awkward about that whole scene, now being stuck with her for so long could only bring a troublesome situation. He'd rather not go trough any of that. Besides he knew that chances of Temari being the nin sent would be-

"Lazy ass?" he heard while he struggled to believe his ears. "Don't tell me you're the person who's going to escort me. This seems like the beginning of bad luck run".

"Yes it does…" Shikamaru whispered to himself.

"I had nothing to do with this" Shikamaru told her "The Hokage assigned me randomly. Since there's nothing we can do about it we might just accept it and get along as good as humanly possible" Shikamaru said with a resigned look in his face.

"I guess so bum" Temari replied. "So where are we going?"

"To the Hokage office. She's going to explain us some things about the exam" then they started walking.

After a short moment of silence, Temari said

"So… how you've been?

"Do you really care?" Shikamaru replied

"I though we agreed on getting along while we did this." Temari scolded him ", Now, don't make me repeat myself "Shikamaru gave her a cold look "She's even bossier than before" he though.

"I've been fine" Shikamaru said "Though the load of work seems to be growing more and more… it's so troublesome".

Temari looked at him with what appeared to be a smile "looks like you're still as lazy as you were back then. I though maybe with all the new responsibilities you were given you would've become livelier" she said.

"No, I still hate it… I kind of like the academy though. Even though I'm a teacher there's plenty of time to rest there just like when I was studying. The missions are the troublesome part. But I don't get as many since I became a teacher".

"And… what about girls?" Temari said

"What about them?" Shikamaru replied

"You still think they're troublesome?"

"Of course, as I've grown older I've only realized how right I am"

"So you don't… have…"

"A woman? No. I haven't found the one I'm looking for yet"

"And how is the women you're looking for?"

"Well… not too pretty but not too ugly, obedient, definitely not loud, etc… someone like me I guess" "oh…"

"Why are you asking me about this anyways?"

"I'm just trying to make conversation idiot"

"Is that so?... So then, how have you been? How was the trip?"

"Fine I guess. It seemed shorter than the last time I came"

While they kept walking away from the gates, a pair of eyes looked at them. It was Yamanaka Ino that was both surprised and confused about the scene she just witnessed. Even though she was too far away to hear anything, the images were obvious enough. Shikamaru went to meet this girl at the gates, and then went away chatting lively with her.

"What's going on…" she though starting to feel a bit desperate.

"Could it be…?" Thinking back Ino remembered seeing them together a few times before… when they returned from the Sasuke mission, in the hospital, in the gates… all after their fight in the chunnin exam. But this was the first time she saw her or anyone from the sand since then, 2 years ago, they couldn't possibly have something… besides as much as she hated to admit it, the girl was pretty cute and there's no logical reason for her to like him. Only maybe from the respect to Shikamaru's intelligence, but that wouldn't be enough.

"I know! I'll bump into them accidentally and find out what's going on!. I'll also try to take Shikamaru away; I have to start getting closer to him as soon as possible".

Ino quickly caught up with them on the street at the right of the one they were walking on. Just as the pair was about to pass an interception Ino came running crashing into Shikamaru's chest"

"I-Ino?" Shikamaru said obviously surprised while holding her to prevent her from falling down.

"Shikamaru! I'm sorry Shikamaru I didn't see you!"

"It's ok… where are you going in such a hurry anyways?"

"He—he no-nowhere I was just returning home- but I'm actually glad I found you I need to talk to you. Huh? Who's that?" Ino said while looking at Temari

"You don't remember? I fought her in the chunnin exam two years ago, and she helped us in the Sasuke mission 2 years ago. This is Temari a sand kunoichi"

"Oh ok" Ino replied giving Temari an indifferent look, to then quickly face Shikamaru with a smile "So could you come with me for a while Shikamaru? I really have to talk to you"

"She has to talk to me?" Shikamaru though, it was the first time he remembered Ino saying those words. For Ino to act like that it must be something serious.

"Is everyone ok?"

"Oh yeah, don't worry it's nothing bad" Shikamaru looked at her with a confused and intrigued expression.

"Ok, what happened?"

"Umm, could we do it in private" Ino said while looking at Temari with an annoyed expression on her face.

"All righ-"

"Hey" Temari interrupted yet again.

"This lazy bum has become my property for as long as I stay in Konoha. He cannot go anywhere with you"

Ino looked at Shikamaru with a puzzled expression.

"Shikamaru what's going on?" Ino's face reflected a small amount of anger.

"I've been assigned as an examiner in the chunnin exam; my job is to escort this woman while she is here for the preparation meetings. Still, that doesn't I've become your personal slave, this is something -"

"If you leave, I'll be sure to let the Hokage know how good attentions to me have been. I'm sure she'll be glad to know, don't you think?" Temari interrupted him yet again.

"Is she threatening me? Not only is she bossy but she is manipulative

"I'm sorry Ino" the lazy ninja said "but I don't want to go trough yet another troublesome situation with the Hokage. We'll talk later".

"But... ok" Ino said disappointed.

Before leaving, Temari saw Ino whispering something quickly to Shikamaru in the ear.

"What's this girl up to?" did they got this close in two years?"

"Ok, let's get going, you Hokage must be already waiting" Temari said to him, on an order voice tone.

Shikamaru looked at her with a confused expression. Why wouldn't she want to let him go speak with Ino? It would have taken a few minutes at most.

"She's probably just trying to mess with me. She is using the situation to annoy me" he though while he started walking along.

Well, thank you for reading. i'll try and update the story whithin 2 weeks again. see ya.