"Hi." She began to wonder why she was here, "I umm… here's the cookies we made yesterday."

"Why…?" He slid out the door, "One minute, Temari." The door closed with a slight thud, "Why are you here?" He grabbed her shoulders.

"I really don't know, I… I just… something told me to come." She wriggled free, "Here." She handed the cookies to him, "I'll … just go now," She mumbled, and began to walk away, slipping her gloves back on.

"Ino."

"Hm?" She turned back around.

"… Merry Christmas"

"Merry Christmas, Shika-kun." She smiled sadly and walked away, her normal buoyancy gone, replaced by sadness. "28," (Number of years in a row she hasn't had a boyfriend for Christmas) she mumbled as she left the love of her life standing right outside his apartment door. "Shika-kun...I know what that thought is now." For the second time in three days, she cried, but this time one tear, one tear for one man, one kiss, one love, one time. She was too late.

"Shikamaru Nara, you go through with this dare, and I will kill you!"

"Lighten up Ino, it's just a dare, like you would ever turn one down," Sakura coaxed.

"Fine." She rolled her eyes, and sat there. He walked over and kneeled down beside her. One short kiss, but the spark was there, even tough Ino would never admit it.

"I can't believe i let you waste my first kiss on a nerd!" She began to spit rapidly.

"Happy fourteenth birthday, Ino," he said glumly, and walked back over to his spot on the couch.

"Shika?" She turned around to se that he was still there, "On my birthday, fourteen years ago, did you feel it?"

"Yes," he said slowly, and walked back into his apartment, to see his waiting girlfriend.

"Me too, and I'm finally ready to admit it." She solemnly walked away.

"Is anything wrong, Shikamaru?" Temari leaned into him, and put her hand on his chest, she snaked her other arm around his neck.

"No, I-I'm fine." He re-adjusted him self on the couch, and she snuggled in closer.

"I love you, Shikamaru."

"I love you too." "I think…"

"Merry Christmas." He didn't reply, "Merry Christmas."

"Huh?"

"Merry Christmas."

"And to you."

"Merry Christmas, Shika-kun!"

"Merry Christmas, piggy!"

"Hey, I have to go, ummm, stop by my parent's house, it is Christmas, okay babe?"

"Alright." She got up and un-tangled her arms from him. "Bye." She slipped on her coat, and he walked over to her. She pecked him on the lips, and left silently.

"How bad did I just mess my life up?" He began to think deeply, "as I would have said ten ears ago, troublesome… what ever happened to that word?"

"Hey, what's up, Ino-chan?" Naruto hollered. He had seen her walking through the park, tears still running silently down her face.

"Hey Naruto, Hinata!" the duo were walking hand in hand.

"Ino-chan, are you okay?" Hinata walked over, leaving Naruto alone, and wiped her tears away. "What happened?"

"I was dumb; I put myself out there, and was trampled, no foul."

"No foul? "Looks like there was plenty of harm."

"He he he…I was dumb, nothing more then that."

"Ino-chan, you know that me and Hinata-koi are always here for you right?"

"Yeah, thanks."

"And so is Shikamaru, he always has been, I don't think that him going out with Temari will change much." Hinata's words did it, normally the mention of Shikamaru mad Ino say something dumb, and then laugh. Not this time, this time she cried. "Naruto-kun, go get Shikamaru," Hinata said in a tone oddly firm for her. She embraced Ino, who began to cry on her shoulder uncontrollably shaking. "We'll meet back at her apartment."

"Okay." Naruto disappeared in a poof of smoke.

Hinata had calmed Ino down… mostly. The two of them were now at the blonde girl's apartment. "So, can you tell me what happened?"

"Well remember my fourteenth birthday?"

"No, I was knocked out from where Kiba spiked the punch."

"Oh yeah, well long story short, me and Shika kissed, and I would never admit it, but I felt something, something, nice. And well, I've never admitted that before, and now that I finally realized what it was I felt, I'm too late."

"Oh." She was unsure of how to reply to this.

"Hinata-chan! I brought Shikamaru!" Naruto busted in the door.

"Naruto-koi, talk to Ino, I need to speak to Shikamaru."

"Don't try anything with her!" he shouted at Shikamaru.

"As long as you don't hurt Ino."

"Why would I do that?"

"You do it unconsciously."

"Naruto-koi."

"Right." Hinata disappeared with Shikamaru, after Naruto finally agreed.

She sat there, bundled up in a blanket, now wearing a tee shirt, and lounge pants. The tears had subsided, replaced by anger in her eyes. "Ino-chan, are you okay?"

"Yes, but I'm an idiot." She ignored him, and continued to watch the snow fall, out the window. Some girl stood there with… "Akira," Ino whispered.

TBC