KaiKaiCutie: i got my quotes from the internet. I just thought that they can make the story sounds more...you know! anyways! sorry for the delay in updating again! hope you'll like this chappie!
babykitty2270: I apologize for updating the story after couple of months! let's hope this is still a "GOOD, HEARTWARMING, FANTASTIC, SHIKAINO STORY" for you! Please enjoy this chappie!
Liltoughiepunkie: update! please enjoy!
i-x3-shikamaru: hohoho! thank you for your review!
Shadowfox98: thank you! i love shikaino too! they are just so cute!
kyuubi kitty: i dun like temari at all either! but some people do like her! so better not say anything here XD!
cutiepie777: sorry for the late update!
Shika-Kun: haha! uh oh! i better grab you a puke bag whenever there are temari and shika scene then because -ahem- i need one while im making a scene for those two too!
gclp: haha...im sure he will! but just not this soon! XD...wait and see!
ishgreeklady: i know! that line was super sweet and cute! saw that on the internet once! so just wanna take that to add some sweetness into the chappie XD! enjoy!
amwong88: i hope they can end up with each other too! i mean...this is THEIR story after all xD!
iA-yOh aka Fuyu Kuro: thank you thank you! hope you'll like this chappie too!
Matt and T.K: uh oh uh oh! i am so sorry! had a huge writer block...and dunno how to put my thinking into words XD! And btw! Your name reminds me of digimon XD! Haha...
Chapter 4: The quick and simple Kiss
Happiness is not something you postpone for the future;
it is something you design for the present.
The morning finally arrived and the sun shone its light onto the village of Konoha.
Being a light sleeper as always, Ino shifted under the warm blanket and buried her face deeper into the soft pillow. It's time wake up, Ino. The blonde hair girl lied flat on the mattress with her stomach facing the ceiling. Her baby blue orbs greeting the sunshine as she let out a soft sigh. "Good morning, my brand new day!" Quickly, she rose from the bed and looked out the window. Sliding opened the curtains, she heard a groan behind her.
Shikamaru...
Ino closed the curtains, returning the room with its original not-as-bright colour. She turned her attention to the sofa, where her former teammate was sleeping on, and formed a small smile with her lips. Getting out of the bed and heading towards the couch, she knelt down until her face was directly in front of his. This sleepy head is still sleeping and dreaming, eh? Unconsciously, she found her finger tracing the outline of his face.
This is the eye, the nose, the jaw... Ino mentally slapped herself for doing that.
She withdrawn her hands and stared at his face, "Just what in the world were you doing, Ino?" she asked herself in a whisper, "Get hold of yourself." She stood up from the spot and immediately realized that Shikamaru was covered not by a warm blanket, but just a jacket taken from the hanger. The girl grabbed the blanket she used for the night and gently placed it on top of the boy's body. She adjusted the blanket until it was covering every inch of his body except for the head.
When she was about to walk off for the bathroom, she heard a murmur from the shadow boy, "thank you, Ino..."
In a split second, her face was heated up and turned very red. Was he awake for the whole time? She turned to the direction of the bathroom and blushed harder. More importantly, did he know that I was staring at him for this whole time? She shook the thoughts away and slowly proceeded to the bathroom.
She splashed the cold water onto her heated face and sighed sharply. Just what is going on with you, Ino? Then, she combed her tangled hair with her cold fingers. Something is going wrong with you, isn't it, Ino? She stared herself in the reflection and sighed. Running the toothbrush on the surface of her teeth and grinning brightly after everything was done.
She walked out of the bathroom with only a tight t-shirt and a pair of shorts on. As soon as she entered the bedroom, she noticed that he had invaded her bed.
Tightening his grip onto the warm blanket, he looked at the ceiling with his half-opened eyes. I never knew sleeping on a couch is a harsh experience for me. Almost for the whole night, he was half-awake. It was not because that he was that kind of shinobi who would use his sense to detect his surrounding. It was just because that the couch was too small for a big boy like him to sleep comfortable on. Plus, I didn't know that sleeping without a blanket would be this difficult too.
Sitting on the sofa and wrapping the blanket around his shoulders, he dashed towards his, or her, unoccupied bed and lied on it. This is so warm... He yawned once and yawned again until his muscles relaxed and mind went empty, or maybe not. Ino... His eyes shot opened at what he just thought. The smell of her sweet perfume...
This is not right... He rose from the bed and smiled, "But it feels right." With a soft and short sigh, he fell back onto the bed with his eyes closed.
It did not take him long to fall back asleep again with that comfortable mattress under his weight, with the warm blanket around his body, and most important, her smell filled up the area around him. Barely, he could hear she turning off the water running water and sighing deeply.
What is bugging you, Ino? Is it the same thing that is bugging me now?
He hugged the blanket tighter, hoping to get more warmth from the object. He was shivering like crazy for the whole night. From now on, I will feel lucky for having a home. He sighed again and whispered silently to himself, "and I will feel lucky for having her in my home..."
Faintly, he could hear chatters from the streets and birds chirping on a tree branch. And this is all so peaceful. He rolled to the other side of the bed, grabbing the pillow when he did. He held the pillow tight against his chest as if the blanket wasn't enough to keep him warm. "Ino, why do you smell so good?" he mumbled against the thin air with his eyes closed.
He was tired. Shikamaru yawned silently and relaxed his mind and his body. From time to time, he could hear Ino pacing back and forth in the bathroom, putting objects up and down onto the counter, whispering something into his ears. But I can't hear anything she was saying to me...
Unconsciously, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her close to him. When he could sense her heat radiating near his body, he asked in a mumble, "what did you say, Ino?"
He waited patiently for her reply; yet, he kept his hand firmly around her tiny wrist. He waited and waited. Just when he was about to open his eyes to repeat his question again, he found that she did response to his question, in a different way, however. He felt something graze his lips quickly, in a split second.
He had no choice but to snap open his eyes because it felt like a kiss.
Ino moved away immediately after she realized what she did. What did i do! She covered her mouth with her hand and stared at Shikamaru when he opened his eyes.
"What was that?" he grunted out as he pushed himself up with his elbow. He was still half asleep, juding from the way his eyes looked. But he always looks like this! Ino stood up from the spot and avoided direct contact with his brown orbs. But the way she blushed betrayed her, he knew what it was.
With a grunt, he pushed the blanket aside and sat up on the bed. He ran a hand lazily through his ponytail and yawned, "What did you do, Ino?"
Ino regulated her temperature and waved hand in front of her, "I didn't do anything, Shikamaru."
"Is that so?" He got up from the bed and walked pass her, accidentally brushing his arm against her shoulder. That, certainly, made the girl, once again, blushed madly. She did not understand why she was blushing this hard whenever he touches her, intentionally or by accident. Maybe there was going to be a further relationship development between the two of them after all. Before Shikamaru exited the bedroom for the corridor, he smirked, "Ino...I never liked short and quick kisses."
With that, he closed the door behind him.
Ino smiled dumbly to herself. A part of her was glad that Shikamaru did not show hatred for her after that kiss; another part of her was embarrassed that he knew that that was a kiss. But does it matter now? Shikamaru probably treated it as something friends would do. She smiled.
"Nara Shikamaru, that was not a kiss!" she yelled out on top of her lungs as she dashed for the door too.
She blushed again.
"Ino, are you having a fever or something?" A certain pink hair girl smirked when she saw her best friend blushing furiously, "you have been blushing madly for the whole day already."
"No, I have not!" Ino stuck her tongue out of her and continued eating her ramen.
Sakura and Ino were out at Ichiraku for lunch. They were not insulting or hating each other ever since Sasuke left the village for the sound and for the revenge of his brother. It was known that he successfully got his revenge; yet, the raven hair boy never returned to the village. There is no news about Sasuke at all... But Sakura still believed that Sasuke was going to come back home one day.
"So," Sakura asked in a cheerful manner, "how did living with Shikamaru go last night?"
Ino blinked at the question and a ghost of smile passed her lips, "it was great!"
Sakura looked at her friend with curiosity and whispered into her ear, "was he warm?"
The air was filled with embarrassment then. "What do you mean, Sakura?" Ino stood up from the stool and exclaimed at the question with a loud voice, causing every customer into the store to look at her direction. Sakura giggled as she set her friend back to the stool, giving her a calm-down-Ino smile. The blonde hair girl lowered her voice and stated the fact, "I didn't even sleep with him last night!"
"You are lying!" Sakura pointed her chopsticks at Ino and teased, "you are blushing already!"
"Sakura!" A vein popped out of her forehead, "it's just..."
Get hold of youself, Ino! She realized that every time that wooden chopsticks grazed over her lips gently, her head would recall the morning when she gave a light kiss to him with her lips. That's right! The same pair of lips! She couldn't help but blush at the thought. She regretted of not thinking properly back then. No, I am not! At the same time, she was glad that she experienced the warmth and softness of his lips. Although he did not react to that incident, she was still happy that she had the chance.
Ino leaned over to Sakura and mumbled softly into her ear.
Knowing that Sakura had always been a girl with huge reaction, the girl yelled out, "You kissed him?" Feeling as embarrassed, or even more embarrassed, as before, Ino bowed her head down and proceeded out of the store. There is just no way that I am going to eat at Ichiraku for my entire life ever again! People were all staring at the pair of girls and mumbling something they could not hear. When Sakura realized how loud she was, she followed Ino out of the store with her hands covering her big mouth.
When they noticed they were far enough from the store, Sakura whispered again, "did you really kiss him this morning?"
"Why would I lie about that, Sakura?" Ino still bowed her head down, gripping the side of her skirt tightly, "Well, I lied that I didn't when he asked though."
The pink hair girl held Ino's arm and a playful smile hanging on her lips, "How did it feel like?" She looked at her friend with the sparkling eyes, "Was it warm?"
Ino nodded her head dumbly.
Sakura got more excited and asked another question, "was it soft?"
Ino nodded her head once again.
"Oh my god!" The girl jumped up and down and smiled brightly, "was it sweet?"
Another nod from the helpless girl.
"Was it-" Sakura stopped short and stood up straight, looking over Ino's shoulder, "Hi, Shikamaru!"
Ino quickly turned around and only realized the boy was standing few inches away from her, she stepped backward and almost lost her balance, "Shikamaru!" All right, Ino. You look stupid. Thanks to Sakura who caught her from falling in time or else she would really be looking stupid. "Finished your training already?"
Shikamaru tucked his hands into his pocket and yawned, "Tsunade-sama called for us," he gave Sakura an I-have-to-take-Ino-from-here-now glaze, "She ordered me to bring you to her office."
"All-"
"All right!" Sakura replied even faster than the person who was ordered. Sakura smacked Ino on the back so hard that she fell forward and crashed onto the boy's chest. Almost immediately, he held her firmly on her arms but didn't push her away. The pink hair girl stuck her tongue out playfully, "I am sorry, you guys!"
"It's okay," Shikamaru yawned again, "I have to bring her with me anyways." With that, he placed an arm on Ino's back and pushed her toward the path, "See you, Sakura!"
"Have fun!" Sakura waved her hand in the air as she watched the two of them walking away from her. Ino refused to stare at Sakura's face after that "careless" smack. She knew Sakura would be smiling sweetly or laughing at her right now.
Both Shikamaru and Ino knocked twice on the door before entering the Hokage office. Tsunade sat comfortably at her seat with ton-ton in her arms, "Please come forward, Ino and Shikamaru." Shizune was apparently not inside the building or else she would be standing by the side of the Hokage.
"What is so important that you must speak with the two of us, Tsunade-sama?" Ino asked politely. She always admired the Hokage's strength and beauty.Although she used trick to make her this beautiful. She respected her and always dreamt that she could become a strong woman, like her, in the near future too.
Shikamaru, on the other hand, looked at the Hokage rudely and yawned loudly, "What do you want with us today, Hokage-sama?"
Tsunade's vein popped out but decided to hold her anger anyways, "I called for you to inform you two that the adults of your houses are sent to a mission."
"while my mom is not even a shinobi?" The shadow boy questioned the woman with a smirk. There is just something going on here.
Ino elbowed Shikamaru on the stomach hard and asked the woman nicely, "what mission were they assigned to?"
Tsunade put her palms together and smiled, "an investigation of a newly found medicine," she turned to Shikamaru afterwards, "and for your information, Nara Shikamaru, your mom went along with your father willingly and accepted the mission."
"Ah-" The two teenagers replied. With that and a bow to the Hokage, Shikamaru and Ino exited the door quietly, thinking about the same problem that each other was thinking.
We are going to be alone in the house for a certain amount of time.
Walking back to the Nara resident without a single word to each other, Shikamaru decided to break the awkward silence, "Ino?"
The girl replied with an Hn as to tell him that yes, she was listening.
"Since my mother is leaving the house unattended, you have to take the role of being the woman of the house," Shikamaru smirked and put his hands behind his head, "You have to cook the three meals of the day, do the laundry, wash the toilet, tidy the house, and most importantly, wake me up in the morning."
"There's no way I am doing that," Ino widened her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, "I am the guest after all!"
"No you are not!" Shikamaru laughed teasingly and joked, "you are part of the family now!"
Ino smacked him on the arm with force and yelled, "How am I being the part of YOUR family now, Shikamaru?" She knew that she shouldn't have asked the question, but she couldn't stop her mouth on time. She knew that if they were going to continue with this conversation, she was going to blush again.
Shikamaru stopped walked and turned to her, "You don't know the reason, Ino?" He pointed at his lips and reminded her, "don't you remember what did you to me this morning?"
Holding her blush and embarrassment, with a loud and angry sigh, Ino walked off from her position with the smirking Shikamara tagging along behind her, towards the setting sun.
End of Chapter 4
A/N: Hope you all liked this chappie took me a real long time to think or type it out! im so sorry. But, probably not going to make an update for couple for weeks? I hope there will be one though. Lots of exams coming up for me and still having a huge writer block! Thank you everyone for reading this chapter!