Promise to be Waiting
Nara Shikamaru yawned lazily as he lay on his back, staring up at the sky in front of the gates of Konoha. It was so boring. This wasn't his usual cloud watching spot, but it was his turn to patrol the gates.
Normally, one of his friends would be here, taunting him or chatting with him. However, it seemed all of Rookie Nine but he was not in Konoha. Chouji was on a mission with his father. Neji, TenTen, and Rock Lee were also on a mission in the Rock country with their sensei, Gai. Naruto and Sakura were on a mission with Kakashi, probably still chasing after Sasuke. Shino, Kiba and Hinata were in Suna, doing something for the Kazekage. And Ino….
Ino. His heart beat slightly faster, and his cheeks felt warm. He growled. So troublesome. Ino had left on a solo mission a year ago, so he hadn't seen her in a long time. Whenever he thought of her, he felt strange, different from how he had felt before. He may have been a genius, but his own feelings were hard to sort out…his friends kept teasing him, saying he liked her. That was impossible wasn't it? Ino was his friend.
When they were 13, a year after those horrible chuunin exams, Ino, being the bossy girl she was, had announced to Shikamaru, Chouji and Asuma "From now on, whenever any of us go on a mission, the rest of us have to wait for the other to return. Promise?" And they had promised, though reluctantly. He remembered Asuma's affirmative growl, then Chouji's nod as he munched his way through another bag of chips. And his own voice, muttering "Tch. Sure. Whatever. Mendokuse. How troublesome. Women…" However, it had become a common sight for all of the village guard to see any member of their team waiting by the gate. He sighed, remembering that promise to be waiting.
Suddenly, he heard a movement. He jumped up, his hands flying to his shuriken pouches. "Who's there?" he yelled. He took a few steps forward. Someone quietly jumped down behind him.
He whirled, hands already well on their way to forming his Kage Mane jutsu. It was a girl, about his own age. Her long blond hair was tossed up into a messy ponytail. Her bangs were in her face, keeping it in the shadows so he couldn't see her features. She was about a head shorter than him, and slim. The dark skirt and shirt were practical, and matted with leaves and dirt. He couldn't help but notice that her clothes hugged her curvy frame. She was in a battle position, hands gripping a long staff in front of her. She wore a hitai-ate on her arm, but he couldn't see the symbol. There was something familiar about her, though he couldn't quite place it.
She twirled her staff and lightly brought it down on his arm. He caught the staff and twisted it. She jumped with it, somersaulting over his head, yanking it out of his grasp and producing blades on both ends. He produced two kunai and they began to spar, until Shikamaru noticed the symbol on her hitai-ate, the one of Konoha. He twisted out of the way of her staff, and then complained "Why, didn't you tell me you were from Konoha? How troublesome…." He crossed his arms over his chest.
"How would I know you were from Konoha, if I can't even see your hitai-ate?" The girl demanded rudely. "Honestly, I- Shika-kun?" The girl stared at him, pushing the hair out of her eyes.
"How do you- Ino!" Shikamaru looked at her in shock. She had changed a lot from the whining kunoichi he had been placed on the same team with.
She smiled ruefully at him. "I didn't even recognize you," she said as she plopped herself down on the grass as he sat down. "You look different and everything," she flopped back and put her hands behind her head as she stared at the clouds.
"I didn't recognize you either," Shikamaru admitted, though his cheeks were burning. "You've changed from the brat that was placed on my team years ago," he teased. He watched her, noting the emotion running through her eyes.
She yelped "Shika-kun!" He couldn't help but notice that her cheeks were red too, though he told himself it was from their spar. "Does that mean I'm not a brat anymore?" He didn't answer her, and stood up instead. "Shikamaru!"
He held out a hand to her, offering it so she could stand up. He smiled crookedly at her, trying to ignore the strange feeling in his stomach. She took it and he tugged, pulling her up and close to him. In that moment, their faces were close together, just centimeters apart.
Shikamaru looked down at Ino for a few more seconds, both of them absolutely still. Then, he bent down and kissed her on the lips for just a moment, making it tender and sweet. Then, just as quickly, he drew back and shoved his hands in his pockets, thinking, Oh man, she must hate me now. Instead of feeling the slap he had anticipated, he felt Ino plant a small kiss on his cheek.
"Thanks for waiting for me Shika-kun."
Something settled in his chest. He had kept his promise to be waiting.