Chapter 8- The Secret Kiss…
The trio is happily sitting together in Shikamaru's room, munching on potato chips.
"So… How's that fever coming along, buddy?" Choji asked.
"It's getting a bit better now. Though I still feel kinda dizzy… I think I can go back to school by next week." Shikamaru answered.
"NEXT WEEK?" Ino exclaimed, "BUT THAT'S THE SCHOOL PLAY!"
"School play?" Shikamaru asked.
"Yup! There's this school play next week, so the teachers decided to cancel all lectures this week to make way for the practices! The performance is this Sunday at 7 in the evening." Choji told him.
"What's the play about?" Shikamaru continued asking.
"Sleeping Beauty!" Choji replied, "Ino's been chosen to play the role of the princess! And Lee's gonna play the prince!"
"WHAT? LEE!" Shikamaru exclaimed in disbelief.
"Yes, Lee." Choji answered.
"Will… Is there a kissing scene somewhere in that play?" Shikamaru asked nervously.
"Yes!" Choji answered.
Then, Shikamaru began to grow jealous… I deserve that part, he thought.
"Shikamaru, are you alright?" Ino asked.
"Huh? Oh, yes! Don't worry! I'm fine!" Shikamaru replied, quickly shifting his mood.
Suddenly Choji said, "So what if Ino and Lee have a kissing scene? My best buddy, Shikamaru was still the first guy who ever got to kiss her, anyway! Just when I arrived here!"
"Ohhh, Choji… Please… Shut it." Shikamaru moaned.
Ino just kept quiet, blushing.
"So, Ino! Are you sleeping-over too?" Choji asked.
"Uh… Yeah. It's a good thing my folks allowed me to, so I can watch over Shikamaru." She replied, tucking her hair behind her ear.
"Uh-huh. So you can watch over Shikamaru, or so you can MAKE-OUT with him?"
"CHOJI! CUT IT OUT!" Shikamaru yelled, hitting Choji on the head.
"OWWW!" Choji yelled.
Suddenly, Ino stood up. "I'll go down and prepare dinner. You guys can wait here. I'll just call you when dinner's ready, okay?"
"Huh? Sure thing," Choji replied, smiling.
And then, Ino slowly walked out of the room, then went downstairs, leaving Shikamaru and Choji alone in the room. Suddenly, Choji fiendishly grinned at Shikamaru.
"WHAT?" Shikamaru asked.
"Hee, hee, hee… I see what's going on!" Choji said, still grinning with tiny bits of chips in his teeth…
"Huh? There is absolutely nothing going on between me and Ino!" Shikamaru told him, "That 'kiss' you just saw was a complete accident!"
"Yeah, and then next you're gonna tell me it happened because you wanted to give her a hug from behind. But then, you slipped and clutched her huge boobies in your hands, making you two fall flat on the floor! Am I right?" Choji asked.
Shikamaru just stared at Choji, speechless.
"Am I right? Am I right?" Choji continued.
"JUST SHUT UP ALREADY!" Shikamaru yelled.
"Come on, Shikamaru. There's absolutely nothing to be ashamed of! You can tell me anything! It's because I'm your best friend, right?"
"Choji, I…"
"…if you've got a crush on Ino, no problem! I'll help you win her heart!"
"Choji…"
"It should be a whole lot easier now, since she dumped Sasuke, right?"
"Choji, please…"
"Oh, fine. I'll cut it out… But if you have any problems, just tell me, okay?"
Slowly, Shikamaru smiled at his fat friend and gave him a pat on the back…
"Thanks, Choji. You're a real pal."
Meanwhile, downstairs, in the Nara family kitchen, we can find Ino desperately trying her very best to look for a very delicious dinner for her, for Choji and of course, for her sweet Shikamaru. She's scrolling through the pages of each cookbook in the kitchen, trying to look for something her two companions would eat. She thought spaghetti was used too much in romantic movies. And if she did cook spaghetti, she won't be eating it alone with her sweetie-pie, Shikamaru… She'd also need to feed this fat person who wears a brief on his head… You know who I mean. She thought of barbeque, but then, she remembered that she was dieting and was already fed-up with barbeque, since Asuma-sensei takes them to a barbeque restaurant almost all the time. And she was kinda fed-up with ramen, too.
"Oh, darn it! There's nothing good here! What's to eat?" she yelled, pulling her hair, "It's so annoying! Spaghetti's too cliché for a romantic dinner! And Choji's here, too! Then, it's also as if I've been eating barbeque my whole life! And ramen, too! Aaarrgh!"
Suddenly, a voice from behind said, "But you're the one cooking for us, right?"
Ino looked behind her and saw Shikamaru standing, smiling at her. She slowly looked away. Shikamaru continued his statement, "If you're the one cooking, you should also cook stuff that the other peoplewant. Who knows? One of us might actually want barbeque, or ramen, or spaghetti for dinner. It's always good that you ask first, ya know. Don't be selfish."
Ino was partially annoyed by what he said. She slowly turned to look at him, trying to smile. "Then in that case, what would you want to have for dinner, my dear Shikamaru?" she said sarcastically.
"I'm really not that hungry. So maybe, you should ask Choji instead. Surely, he'd want something…"
"Oh, fine. I'll go ask him."