A/N: So, I decided to do some Anthology for this…not really a collection of just short stories, you know. Just a whole bunch of things that tie together to weave this weird ass story I'm concocting in my mind. (actually, it might not be that weird)

So, as a result each contribution…or chapter….of this story will vary greatly in length. I thought it was a neat idea….hope people are still interested…and if not, well let's behold what queer things I come up with.

Cuz, I'm a punk rock samurai….heart that song….ahem…just ignore that…lol

Disclaimer: Do not understand why people would think that I own these characters.

Waiting

I sat there, waiting for her. Hoping, praying that she would awaken.

Sit up. Sit up! I kept thinking. An annoyance rose up in my being. How I hated seeing her like this.

Staring into the emptiness that was apparently before her. She was awake, but not in her soul. Not in her mind. Who knows what she was thinking.

I didn't want to go in, so I stood observing from the small window in her door. Taking my thumb into my mouth, I bit down on the tip of it, trying to figure out what to do.

"You shouldn't bite your nails," came the voice that was like a sweet wind chime. Glancing over, I saw her. The smart ass and confident Suna Kunoichi, Temari."It's not a good habit…especially on guys."

With that she gave me a subtle smirk. I cocked a brow, making clear my annoyance. I turned my attention back on Ino, who still sat at the edge of her hospital bed, staring straight ahead at the wall before her.

Sighing, I dropped my gaze down to the floor. "Here for another Konoha-Suna meeting."

"If I was here for that, why would I be here at the hospital?" The skepticism was clear in her voice. Before I could answer, she continued on. "Anyway, I heard you were here, so I came to see how you were doing."

I let my head lean forward, resting on the door.

"But it's no big deal," she said with a shrug. "If you're busy, I might see you later."

I didn't answer. I had no idea what to say to that. Why were women so troublesome? Who should I spend my time with?

A lively, blonde, confident kunoichi? Or, a not-so-lively, almost crazy looking kunoichi, who I spent majority of my shinobi life with? …And yet, not exactly with her.

I could feel my brow furrow in part confusion and part anger. Why the hell didn't she wake up by now? It's been three days since they found her. It was only today that she woke from the shock that she was in. A coma-type thing that consumed her mind, but looking at her today told me that she was still lost in whatever horror she was still trapped in.

The image of her when we found her was still stuck in my head. The blood on her struck fear in my heart. Some said it was self-destructive, but I refuse to believe it. It's not something she would do. She loves life.

Letting out a heavy sigh of frustration I lifted my head, deciding that it was time to leave. My heart practically jumped into my throat, and I could feel fear clutch my chest. There, I stood, staring straight into Ino's blue eyes. They looked so empty, but still she stood there, looking into my eyes. I finally began to breathe, when I calmed myself down. Swallowing hard, leaned closer to the glass, hoping to somehow see something in her, something that told me she still had her sanity.

Slowly her head, turned as if to look to the left. It was then that I heard the tak-tak-tak of someone walking down the hall towards me. Adverting my gaze, I looked to where Ino was trying to look.

Sakura looked concerned, and spoke. I'm not too sure what she said. It didn't really register. Rather, I turned my gaze back to Ino, but she wasn't there.

"Shikamaru," Sakura called again. "How's she doing?"

I felt her hand rest on my shoulder, trying to get my attention. Rather, I kept my gaze on Ino, who lay on the cold floor, studying her bandaged forearms that were sprawled before her.

The image of Ino and the small gasp that escaped Sakura's throat brought up an emotion in me that I could not discern at the moment.

This was not bothersome.

This was not troublesome.

I did not care to find the words for what I felt. But it was there and it was real.

"I'm sorry," I said, "I have to go right now." With that I left Sakura standing there, and hoped that maybe I would encounter the Suna kunoichi once more.

"I'll stop by later," were my final words, before I blocked out Sakura's voice and the image of Ino from my mind.

Especially the image of Ino.

A/N: I know, this is totally out of character of Shikamaru, and I know I totally made Ino look so out of character...but come on, Kakashi was out cold and Sasuke was in some shocked state. And we know Ino is not nearly on the samelevel as those two. But things do change people, and who knows how he would react to this kind of situation. Please Review! And so sorry for not updating