"INO!" Shikamaru shouted while reaching for her as her figure disappeared through the trees.
"Shikamaru, you better follow her if you truly love her like how Lee loves me." Sakura commanded him with a pumped fist near his face.
"Okay okay...wait how did you know that..." Shikamaru asked backing off. How did she know about me and Ino?
Sakura chuckled to herself then finally answered, "Oh come on Shikamaru, it was sooo obvious!"
Then Shikamaru just raised an eyebrow at Ino's pink haired aquintance and trodded off to the forest in search of the troublesome blonde. Just as he entered the shadey forest, Shikamaru realized that there was something familiar about this forest. It was where Chouji was rested in peace. Chouji was buried here...I missed ya buddy. Wait, I hear Ino's voice, is she talking to someone?
Shikamaru followed the trail of her voice and found her on her knees infront of Chouji's well carved gravestone and babbling to it, so the lazy ninja decided to hid himself behind the nearest tree where he couldn't be seen but he can still see Ino.
"Hey Chouji, sorry I couldn't come in the morning. I had to meet Tsunadae-sama and Sakura to meet Naruto, Shizune, and Shika-kun."
What does she mean she couldn't come this morning? Does she come every morning?
"Guess who I found with him? The pretty girl Temari." Ino spoke choking on the word Temari.
"I think something happened between them, I don't know why it's making me feel weird." Ino paused as if she was waiting for an answer from Chouji then continued, "Oh...you think it's because of Sasuke-kun?"
What the hell does Sasuke have to do with this?
"I don't know why Chouji, being with Sasuke-kun before was all I've ever dreamed for but being with him doesn't make me happy like it does with Shikamaru? What's wrong with me?"
WHAT? BEING WITH SASUKE? WHAT DID SHE MEAN BY BEING WITH HIM 'BEFORE'?
"Oh you think it's because I like Shikamaru? I don't know about that either, I mean he was soo happy about Temari before and I think he still likes her and she loves him back. So I just feel weird around Shikamaru. I can't look at him, I can't talk about him, I can't even talk to him for long. I gotta go Chouji or else Sakura might be worried. Oh well, I guess Shikamaru and I will always be nothing but friends eh? I can't even be with Sasuke-kun anymore after well...you know."
Shikamaru decided he couldn't hold all the questions in his head anymore and he needs to know what is going on with Ino, "Know what?"
"S-Shikamaru? W-when did you come?" Ino stuttered taken by surprise.
"Long enough to hear everything. And this was where you went to the day that you avoided me for two times in that day eh? I don't even think I want to find out about what was going on between you and chicken head." Shikamaru answered.
"Are you angry?" Ino wearily looked at him.
"No, I don't care. This is so troublesome that I don't heck care. I'll never care." Shikamaru coldly replied leaving Ino in tears.
While Ino's quietly crying leaning on "Chouji" (actually his gravestone) Shikamaru just started to walk out of the leafy forest. But before he completely disappeared he said to Ino again, "Nothing's been going on with me and Temari. Leave her out of it."
"Mmm, fresh stock of flowers. Just enough to brighten my day." Ino weakly smiled poking at the petals of her favourite pot of white roses. Apparently after a full week of not-seeing-Shikamaru-after-"that day" her self confidence was as low as ever. Sometimes she'd loose track of what Sakura's blabbing about, or sometimes she'd fall asleep in "Chouji's forest" in the morning and wakes up in the late afternoon. She doesn't even bother combing her silky long hair anymore, she just pull it up in a scruffy ponytail. Only working at the shop with the fresh auromas of the flowers can cheer her up.
"Before when I didn't someone to love at least I had Shika-k...I mean Shikamaru." sighed Ino heavily.
"Now I've got no one...except for Sakura but she's always out with Lee."
"Ahem." coughed a familiar voice.
Ino reconized that cough...it was Shikamaru's! Realizing that it was Shikamaru's voice it gave Ino a spark of life.
"Oh, welcome to the Yamanaka flower shop! How may I help you?" Ino perked up her voice.
"I would like to buy two white roses for someone please." Shikamaru asked.
"Lucky for the girl. I mean..er here, the price is $3.50" Ino grumbled hand him the two white roses with the stem wrapped in colourful paper while taking the money from Shikamaru's tanned hands with one hand.
"Hey, Ino. Can we talk?"
"Oh sure. Just let me change please." Ino apologized while rushing up to change out of her dirty track pants.
During that one week Shikamaru did nothing but think of her and Chouji, the truth was that even though he was surprised and hurt from Ino's events with Sasuke that he didn't know and acted like he didn't cared. But he just wished that for one day that Ino would treat him like Sasuke. I hope I won't make a fool of myself talking to her I...
Ino interupted his thoughts as she came downstairs through the glass door with her hair combed and let down dressed in a haulter top with a pair of white shorts and shoes. Her beautiful strands of long hair glistened in the sun through the windows has did her soft pale skin drove him crazy.
She looks so hot. Troublesome. -.-"
