Disclaimer: i don't own Naruto but story + ideas are mines
Editor notes: Chapters 1 is a Prologue for the actual story.
It's was sunset, the moon almost up and the sun almost gone. It was usually quite quiet in the Village of Kohona but not tonight. The town was busy preparing itself for the genins graduation ceremony. Among the many student that was graduating and taking their first step into the Chunin exams was Ino Yamanaka.
Ino was not the brightest in her class or was she the best fighter amongst them. But that didn't stop her from fulfilling her dreams as a Chunin. This year candidates for the Chunin exams were much more formidable than last years. From Ino had learn among the many that was participating in the exam as her were far more experience than she could have imagined. One the of few that stuck was Garaa, the master of the sand, Naruto, the prankster and hokage wannabe, Sakura, once her best friend now a rival with the same goal, Sasuke, a genin with skills that far surpasses many of those in the Chunin class, TenTen, a weapon mistress deadly and dangerous with a sharp mouth to match her skills, Neiji the guy with a pair of weird eyes that can see through things (Ino never really liked the sound of that) and last but not least Shikamaru, a lazy ninja with an IQ so high that Ino couldn't count.
The ceremony began with the classic Ninja acrobatic performance. Followed by the fire eaters. A few moments later drums were carried onto the stage. Everyone stood there in trance as if they were waiting for the Gods to decend. Then came a Ninja covered completely from head to toe in a Black outfit with a tiny red ribbon tied around his arm. He started beating at the drums in such a powerful heart pounding way that Ino could hear it echo inside of her. The drumming was loud and fast yet it was still in rhyme. After several minutes of heart pounding noise the sky was soundly lighted up with fireworks. Each firework exploded with huge boom followed many dazzling lights that seems to dance into the night sky. Blue ones, Red ones firework of the all the colors of the rainbow. Ino felt at peace, she can finally take a break from her classes and relax for the rest of the day. But her peaceful moment was suddenly stopped by an announcement of the Jounin exam. At first Ino shivered at the thought of having to face any of these people throughout the exam. When she was ticking off her fingers to count the odds facing any of these opponents, arrives Shikamaru holding a plate filled with teriyaki chicken and green teas of to the side. She always did have a weird feeling towards this strange lazy ninja. He sat down right beside her and offered her the cup. She looked at him shyly and blushed. Slowly she reached for the cup with both hands until their fingers touched. Instinctively she yanked her fingers back quickly and looked the other way. Shikamaru turned his head to her but soon realized how bothersome it would be to interfere in a girl's moment. Still clenching onto the cup with one hand he gently spoke "Ino, here take your tea I made it the way you liked it."
Still Ino had the back of her head to him she thought of an excuse not to look at him. But when she started to look around, she realized that they were both sitting on a hill in best view of the fireworks in the night sky. The scariest part is that there was no one else besides her and Shikamaru was here. She slowly thought to herself, "this is just a pure coincidence that he a warm cup of tea for her, in the middle of the night with fireworks and they had best seats possible."
Soon Shikamaru hands started to turn red. Ino often liked her tea hot so she could blow little shapes with the steam. Refusing to put down the tea until Ino took it, Shikamaru said "Ino, please have your tea, it is nothing special just take your tea…. please."
With her face all blushed red she slowly turned around to meet the lazy ninja's face. With the light from the fireworks dancing upon his face all she could think about was Shikamaru. She clenched the cup between both her hands. While Ino closed her eyes she felt her hands slowly warm up with heat streaming from the tea. While Ino was warming her hands with the tea Shikamaru blew short breathes into his palm as it pulses a deep red. The night sky continued to echo the sound of the fireworks, Ino was slowly taken in by the mid-night sky. It's been an hour since they first sat down here. She kept wondering what Shikamaru was thinking yet she never bother to ask him, she was afraid he would say she be too bothersome to answer. Ino didn't want this moment to end. Folding her legs to her sides she slowly leaned onto Shikamaru. He felt her warm body touch shoulder and he smiled. Whispering gently to the soft girl's ear "Tonight Ino, it maybe our last night together so let us both cherish this moment."
"For someone with such a high IQ, you sure are stupid Shika…. I won't leave you, not tonight, we'll make it through the Chunin Exams together" she replied gently.
A few moments later Ino fell asleep upon Shikamaru shoulders. He looked at the gentle sleeping girl. Then he realized how beautiful she really was outside her bossy nature. She was actually very soft and kind hearted. "Shika…so this is what my name going to be from now on?" he speaks to himself. He looked up upon the star filled sky and smiled. "You're right Ino, we'll be together. Always, let this be our first night together," he sighs… if only Ino had heard him say that. When he looked up the stars seem to glowed bright red and Ino's forehead glowed red as well. What is going he wonders.