*I DON'T OWN NARUTO*
Shikamaru slowly made his way to Yamanaka flower shop to meet Ino. He didn't seem too enthusiastic, then again he was never known for his enthusiasm. He looked up at the sky and sighed, part of him just wanted to cloud gaze today.
"Shikamaru wait up!"
Shikamaru looked away from the sky and instead focused on Chouji. His teammate was desperately trying to catch up to him. He stopped walking momentarily so he could wait for his friend.
"Thank god I caught you. I was afraid you were already at the flower shop. You know how mad Ino gets if we're late," said Chouji as he tried to catch his breath.
"We are late Chouji. I could have been at the shop fifteen minutes ago, but I knew you wouldn't be there so I stalled. Besides were doing Ino the favor so she'll just have to wait."
"Thanks Shikamaru I can always count on you. I swear you know what I'm going to do before even I do it."
"It's just one of my many gifts. So then did you let everyone know about tonight like Ino wanted you too?"
"Yeah that's why I was running late. I found everyone but it took me a while to track down Team Guy. Everyone else was either at home or at their usual hangouts but not Guy's Team. They were out training. I had to search all their known training spots before I finally tracked them down."
"Those guys are insane. I can't be training all the time. You need to relax and let loose every now and then. You know what I mean Chouji?"
"Oh I hear ya Shikamaru."
"So they're coming right? If not Ino is going to have both our heads."
"Oh no they're coming. Tenten wasn't about to let Neji and Lee ruin a night of fun for her.
So we don't have to worry about Ino, then again we are late," said Chouji with a nervous look on his face.
They both came around a corner and across the street was the flower shop. Shikamaru led the way, and as they got closer he popped his neck side to side as if he was preparing himself for some sort of encounter.
"Well we're almost there Chouji. Just wait outside of the shop okay, I'll take care of Ino."
"Alright Shikamaru."
They reached the entrance and like Chouji was told he stayed outside while Shikamaru walked in. Ino was behind the front counter taking inventory when she noticed Shikamaru. He was walking slowly towards her she even though they were a few feet apart he could feel her wrath slapping him across the face. She sighed heavily as she put her paperwork down.
"Why is it you can never be on time Shikamaru? Is it honestly that hard? I mean you're so damn smart, yet you absolutely suck at being punctual," scolded Ino.
She walked towards him while ranting on his tardiness. She poked him roughly in the chest with her finger in an attempt to make a point.
"You get me so mad sometimes you know that?!"
Chouji winced when he heard how annoyed Ino was. He hid behind a large display of flowers that was placed near the shops entrance. He could hear Ino perfectly from his hiding place, but hadn't heard Shikamaru say a word. He decided to take a peek and as soon as he did he saw Ino look behind Shikamaru and make eye contact with him.
"Oh and don't think you're off the hook either Chouji! I can see you perfectly from over here! Shikamaru can't save you all the time you know th…"
Before Ino could finish her onslaught of verbal insults Shikamaru grabbed a hold of her waist and brought her close to him. Shocked she looked up at him and the next thing she knew her mouth was covered by his. Instinctively she closed her eyes and her anger slowly melted away as she savored the taste of her boyfriend's kiss.
She wasted no time in deepening the kiss and in typical Ino fashion she added one of her legs around Shikamaru's hip and pushed herself up against his groin. He grunted at the sudden contact but that didn't stop him from kissing her. Finally after a few steamy minutes the two of them slowly pulled apart from one another. Ino pushed her hair back and tried to keep her legs from shaking.
"So you were saying?" Asked Shikamaru.
Ino cleared her throat; she couldn't believe he had just kissed her. Shikamaru was usually so reserved and private. He wasn't one for being so physical in public. She looked up at her boyfriend, who wore a trumpet smirk on his face. Ino felt a little annoyed, he had gotten the best of her, but she just couldn't help but blush when he looked at her like that.
"Alright Shikamaru it looks like you got yourself out of this one, but next time you won't be so lucky."
Ino turned around and walked towards the front desk. Shikamaru looked behind him and tilted his head at Chouji who quickly left the sanctuary of his hiding place. Together they followed Ino to the front desk. She went to the back room and returned quickly with a small wad of what looked like money wrapped in a piece of paper.
"Here's the money and a list of everything I want you both to get for tonight. Chouji don't let this one right here wander off. I know how how he is," said Ino as she looked at her boyfriend.
"And Shikamaru watch Chouji. I don't want him eating what you put in the cart."
"Hey that happened when you made us go out shopping right after training and I was really hungry Ino," protested Chouji.
"I don't care, your excuse isn't going to bring back my snacks now is it?"
"..."
"I swear the two of you are unbelievable."
"You worry too much Ino so you better relax or you'll get wrinkles prematurely on that pretty face of yours."
Ino's right eye twitched slightly. She took in a deep breath in an attempt to relax.
"Please go get everything on and my list and once you're done drop everything off at my place, here are the keys. Just leave everything in the kitchen alright, and lock up once you're done."
"Sure, sounds simple enough."
"You can and come pick me up at six Shikamaru."
"Aren't you pushing it a little? I thought you were going to close at seven? You don't want the regulars of the shop letting your parents know you closed so early."
"I've already taken care of that minor dilemma."
"Oh, and how did you do that?"
"I just told what regulars I saw today that I had important business with Sakura and Tsunade-sama. Technically I will be with at least one of them so I'm just stretching the truth," said Ino with a victorious smile on her face.
"Hmph seems like you very confident in your little charade. Are you sure it's going to work though?"
"Of course it is Shikamaru."
"Whatever you say Ino," said Shikamaru as he took the money and list and stuffed it in his pocket.
"Come on let's get this over with Chouji."
Chouji nodded, and together they exited the shop. Ino couldn't help but smile. It was true that these guys usually gave her a headache but she loved them regardless. She continued to watch them until her two teammates turned around the corner towards the market place.
Chouji let out a sigh of relief once they had turned the corner.
"Thank god you're dating Ino. I don't think we would have been able to get away from her wrath if you hadn't of kissed her Shikamaru."
"I would of thought of several other ways to get out of that situation even if we weren't dating. That would have been rather troublesome, but still possible. Either way I'll always be able to get us out of trouble unscathed."
Sakura nibbled away on her freshly steamed dumplings. They were simply delicious and the young kunoichi was enjoying every bite. She continued to stuff her mouth when she felt Naruto's eyes on her. She paused for a moment as she looked back at him. All Naruto was doing was sipping his drink as he admired Sakura's enthusiasm with her food.
"What?" Asked Sakura with her mouth full.
"Oh Nothing," chuckled Naruto. "I've just never seen you eat like this before. Usually I'm the one that gets so involved with my food that it's a miracle I even remember to breathe."
Sakura blushed, he was right, she hadn't said a word since they sat down to eat. She swallowed what she had her mouth and wiped her mouth with a napkin.
"I haven't had a good meal like this in days it seems. I've been so nervous about telling you about the baby, plus all the nausea I've been having hasn't been helping me keep my food down."
"Well don't let me stop you Sakura-chan, eat as much as you want."
Sakura smiled and continued to eat away under Naruto's watchful eye. The two lovebirds were sitting outside their favorite dumpling restaurant. They had decided to sit outdoors on the patio since it was such a lovely day. They were sheltered by the sun by a large umbrella over their table. Naruto plopped a dumpling in his mouth as he looked around the village.
The marketplace was bustling with people. Within the crowd he caught a glimpse of Shikamaru and Chouji. Naruto stretched his arm out and flagged them down. Shikamaru noticed his waving first. He gently patted Chouji on the shoulder and motioned him towards Naruto and Sakura.
"Yo Naruto, Sakura," said Shikamaru as he leaned on the rail surrounding the patio.
Chouji smiled and waved. Sakura's mouth was full so she smiled while covering her mouth. She waved her hand trying to chew her food as quickly as possible.
"Hey guys so what are you both up to right now?" Asked Naruto.
"Ino has us shopping for supplies for her last minute party," said Shikamaru.
"Yeah Sakura-chan told me about it."
"It sounds like a lot of fun," said Sakura.
"Yeah for the most part parties are fun, but first you need to get everything you need, then set everything up, and the clean up afterwards isn't exactly pleasant either."
"Oh come on Shikamaru stop being a stick in the mud," protested Chouji.
"Yeah Shikamaru don't be so troublesome," teased Naruto.
"You just had to put your two cents in didn't you Naruto," sighed Shikamaru.
Sakura couldn't help but giggle as Naruto and Shikamaru started playfully arguing. Chouji laughed as well but the smell from the restaurant was much more interesting than participating in the conversation that was going on next to him. He looked down and saw Sakura's plate; he couldn't help but drool when he saw the delicious dumplings.
"Sakura that looks delicious, but you ordered the number four special all for yourself? That's a really big portion, and you're almost done with it too, how'd you manage that?" Asked Chouji.
"Oh welI I just forgot to eat breakfast today so I'm extra hungry. Plus Naruto's been helping me out so I'm not the only one responsible for the damage," said Sakura nervously.
Naruto stopped teasing Shikamaru when he heard Sakura's nervous response. He gave Shikamaru a nervous look. His friend winked at him in reassurance. He lazily stretched out his arms high above his head and yawned.
"Alright Chouji we'd better hurry up and get this done. I'm still tired and I want to take a nap before this party starts."
"Alright Shikamaru, but do you think maybe we can come back here to eat after we're done shopping?"
"Whatever," said Shikamaru lazily.
"Awesome! Well I guess we'll be seeing you guys at the party tonight then," said Chouji.
Everyone said their goodbyes and soon both Chouji and Shikamaru left so they could continue their mission for groceries. Sakura and Naruto sat in silence as they watched their friends leave. Sakura took a sip from her drink and cleared her throat.
"I was a little worried that Chouji noticed my appetite," said Sakura.
"Yeah, but eating a little more than normal isn't a clear indication of being pregnant. Even if Chouji suspected you were preggers it would all be speculation on his part because I know Shikamaru wouldn't tell him, especially after I asked him not too," said Naruto as he continued to eat what was left of his meal.
"I suppose you're right. I guess I'm just being a little paranoid is all. So, you told Shikamaru then?"
"Yeah he came by my apartment this morning, I hope that's okay?"
"Or course it is, he's your best friend after all, besides I told Ino so I have no problem with you telling Shikamaru."
"Cool," said Naruto as he plopped another dumpling into his mouth.
"So how did Shikamaru take the news?"
"Good I guess. He gave me some great advice so that was pretty awesome."
"That's good to hear, Ino and Tsunade-sama gave me some great advice too."
"Speaking of Baa-chan we need to go see her tomorrow. She wants to make sure you and the baby are alright."
Sakura was about to agree when something dawned on her. The color from her face began to fade, and Naruto grew concerned when he saw her expression change so drastically.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"There's someone else that doesn't know about the pregnancy Naruto, and we need to tell them," said Sakura.
"Alright so we'll tell them," mumbled Naruto.
"It's not that simple."
Naruto replied with a noncommittal noise due to his mouth being filled with food. He was in the process of swallowing said food when Sakura spoke.
"It's my mother."
Naruto almost choked. He roughly hit his chest in an attempt to help it go down. He let out a gasp of air once he successfully swallowed his food.
"No, you aren't serious are you?"
"I'm sorry Naruto but the only people I told before you found out were Ino and Tsunade-sama."
"I would of thought you would of told your mother first Sakura-chan!" Snapped Naruto.
Sakura cringed from the sound of Naruto's voice. She didn't blame him for his sudden outburst, but this wasn't the place to be doing it.
"Shhh don't be so loud, we don't want people eavesdropping on us do you," whispered Sakura sternly at Naruto.
"..."
"I'm sorry I didn't tell her, but honestly my mom's the last person I wanted to talk to. I figure we'd tell her together."
"You do realize that she's going to blow a fuse if we do that, right? You know she can't stand me."
"Of course I know that, but we need to show her that we're being mature about this, and telling her together will show her just that."
"So you want me to be there when you tell her that you're pregnant? She's going to kill," me groaned Naruto.
"I think you're blowing things out of proportion."
"Really Sakura-chan? You honestly think she'll take the news that the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki knocked her daughter up with a smile on her face?"
"Well not if you say it like that," replied Sakura as she stuffed another dumpling into her mouth.
"Look Sakura-chan your mother didn't even like the thought of us dating. Does she even know that we have a sexual relationship, because this baby is the product of something way more advanced than just holding hands," said Naruto.
"She doesn't know…"
"Oh god, that's it, I'm done for. She's going to destroy me when she learns I deflowered you."
"..."
"I mean remember how she kept giving you such a hard time when we first started dating? She looked at me like I was an abomination to mankind Sakura-chan. In her eyes I'll always been a monster. She probably thinks I'm going to eat you or something," muttered Naruto.
Sakura sighed in defeat, as much as she wanted to fight for her mother she knew deep down that Naruto was right. Her mother, Hanako,was never a fan of Sakura's decision to date Naruto. Once their relationship had gotten serious her ties with her mother became strained. It had gotten so bad that Sakura couldn't take her mother's negativity towards Naruto any longer, so she moved out.
She hated how her mother was never impressed with Naruto. His heroism, kindness, compassion, and even his undying love for her daughter didn't make her see who Naruto really was. Hanako still hated him and Sakura knew that this news could quite possibly destroy her relationship with her mother altogether.
"I'm sorry Naruto, you know I don't have a very stable relationship with my mom right now. However if I keep this from her I know it would shatter what's left of our relationship."
"I understand Sakura-chan, but what are you going to do if she goes ballistic on us?"Asked Naruto as he played with his chopsticks.
"I could careless Naruto, if she doesn't accept our relationship that's fine with me, but she can't deny her own grandchild."
"I guess you're right. That would be really cold of her. I know your mom can be scary, but I've never seen her as being heartless."
"She's not, I just don't understand how our relationship became so strained. I just wish she could see the man I see when I look at you," said Sakura as she rubbed Naruto's hand affectionately.
"Thanks Sakura-chan."
"All that matters is that we let my mom about the pregnancy. Everything that happens afterwards is up to her. She's the only one who can decided if she's going to be a part of our new family.
"So when do you want to tell her?"
"We might as well tell her tomorrow after we see Tsunade-sama. This way we can have ultrasound pictures of the baby and any news Tsunade-sama shares with us."
"We're going to see the baby tomorrow?" Asked Naruto nervously.
"Of course, what did you think was going to happen tomorrow?"
"Honestly I had no idea what was going to happen."
"It's a pretty straight forward check up, you know blood work, blood pressure, all that good stuff."
"So it's basically a physical?"
"For the most part yes, the only difference is that we get to see the baby, and hear it's heartbeat on an ultrasound machine," said Sakura.
She squeezed Naruto's hand in an attempt to make him feel more at ease. She smiled at him and after a few moments Naruto softly smiled back at her.
The young couple walked together, hands clasped, as they walked along a busy street. Lunch had been delicious and she still felt nausea free. The two hadn't decided on what to do next to kill time so they just decided to walk around town. The streets were packed, everyone was out running errands or mingling with approach the village's library and Sakura pointed at the stairs where Sai was sitting down reading a book. Sakura pulled Naruto along as she made her way towards their teammate. They had all become so much closer as a team after everything that had happened during the 4th shinobi war. Naruto really owed Sai a great deal since he did protect Sakura when he was training with Fukasaku and Killer Bee. Even so Naruto knew he'd always get into awkward situations whenever Sai was involved.
"Hello Sai, what are you reading if you don't mind me asking?" Asked Sakura.
Sai looked up at his teammates; a small polite smile spread across his pale face.
"I was told today that we were all invited to a party. I've never been to a party before so I decided to get a book on parties and party etiquette," replied Sai.
"Oh that's sounds really nice Sai. If you have any questions you know you can ask us," said Sakura as she jabbed Naruto hard in the ribs to get him to agree with her.
"Ouch…I mean yeah Sai we can help you out."
He did his best to give Sai a convincing smile, even though he was slowly suffering from the harsh jab Sakura had given his side. It was a miracle she hadn't done any real damage to him after all these years, but it still hurt like hell.
"Here's my first bit of advice," coughed Naruto "Don't try so hard, the whole purpose of a party is to have fun, and you do know what fun is right?" Asked Naruto.
"Yes I do, fun is a source of enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure one can share with family or close companions."
"Uh yeah, but parties don't require you to follow certain steps. Just go, relax, and have a good time. If you try too hard then you won't have any real fun at all."
"I think I understand Naruto-kun thanks so much for explaining it to me."
"Well if you'll both excuse me I have a few things to do before we all get together, said Sai as he waved goodbye.
"It's a miracle he doesn't need a book to tell him how to breathe," said Naruto as he watched his pale teammate leave.
Sakura swiftly smacked him across the back of the head.
"Hey what in the world was that for?" Asked Naruto as he rubbed the back of his head sulking.
"You need to learn to have more patience with Sai. Honestly I think it's cute how he makes an effort to learn these things."
"I'm sorry but I'll never forgive him for all those awkward situations he's gotten me in."
"What in the world are you talking Naruto?"
"Don't tell me you don't have a clue as to what I'm referring too."
"..."
"Really Sakura-chan?"
"I'm sorry," giggled Sakura. "I honestly don't know what you're talking about.
"How can you forget all the times he called me dickless. Every time we were together he'd bring up the size of my dick, and it was embarrassing since we weren't dating at the time, and he always did it when you were there."
"Aww poor baby."
"..."
"If it makes you feel any better I think you're rather endowed in that department Naruto," cooed Sakura as she wrapped her arms around his torso.
Naruto's face reddened as Sakura purred into his chest. She got on her tippy toes and planted a soft kiss on his lips. He slowly kissed her back and held her close to his body. The two continued to kiss under the sun on a lovely summer day in Konoha.
The sky above Konoha was bathed in twilight as Shikamaru made his way inside the flower shop. He saw a small sign outside that said open. He flipped it over to say closed and then he continued to make his way inside. He noticed that half of the lights were already off in the shop.
"Looks like she started closing," said Shikamaru.
He made his way towards the back room silently. Upon entering he found Ino counting down her register. She looked up at Shikamaru and smiled at him.
"Hey Shikamaru, did everything go okay with the shopping?"
"It went alright, Chouji and I got everything you wanted and it's at your place in the fridge just like you instructed."
With that said Shikamaru took a seat on a chair right by where Ino was sitting. He leaned his body out and stretched. He yawned and closed his eyes; he used his hands on the back of his head for support.
"Thanks Shikamaru, I know I gave you guys a hard time earlier today, and for that I'm sorry. I just got so stressed today since this whole party thing is so last minute. I didn't have time to plan like I normally do," said Ino as she continued to count down the earnings for the day.
"No it's alright. I know Chouji and I can be difficult so how about we just call us even."
"Alright then," giggled Ino. "So what did you do afterwards, you look tired."
"Chouji wanted to eat after we were done shopping so we had a late lunch," yawned Shikamaru.
"Awe you didn't get your cat nap for the day did you?" Asked Ino as she leaned over Shikamaru's shoulders.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and rubbed her head against his. She ran her arms done his chest and kissed the side of his neck. Shikamaru stiffened as Ino continued to kiss and nibble his neck. She stopped when she felt him grow rigid. She smiled wickedly at his reaction.
Ino pulled away from her boyfriend and walked around the chair he was sitting on. She knelt down on her knees and ran her arms along the length of his legs. She found the zipper to his pants and she slowly unzipped them. Shikamaru's eyes shot open and he reached down to stopped Ino from fully unzipping his pants.
"Ino what the hell? We can't do this here."
"Why not?"
"Well for starters the shop is still opened. Anyone could walk in here you know."
"I thought you told me worrying too much was bad for one's health," purred Ino.
She pushed Shikamaru's hands away but instead of focusing on his pants she straddled him. She slowly began to rock her hips against his crotch.
"Ino please.."
"Awe Shikamaru you did me a favor, why won't you let me return it hmm?"
"You can't expect me to.."
Ino quickly muffled his comment with a kiss. At first Shikamaru protested, but Ino knew how to loosen him up a little. Once she was satisfied with his relaxed state she broke the kiss and leaned in closer towards Shikamaru's ear.
"I'm not wearing any panties Shikamaru," purred Ino as she continued to grind herself on his crotch.
Shikamaru blushed profusely. He gulped nervously as he watched Ino unbutton her shirt. Her large breasts bounced out of their fabric prison. She pulled Shikamaru's face into her chest.
"Oops, it looks like I wasn't wearing a bra either."
"Really Ino," sighed Shikamaru.
"Awe come on Shikamaru. Doesn't this just turn you on a little?"
"..."
"The thrill of someone walking in is what's supposed to make it fun."
"Our depictions of fun are clearly not alike."
"Come on Shikamaru, live a little."
"You could have just waited for us to get to your place you know."
"Now listen up Nara Shikamaru, you're going to make love to me, and dammit you're going to love it!" Exclaimed Ino as she carefully removed herself from Shikamaru's lap.
"So now you've resorted to threatening me?"
"Oh just shut it and wait here Shikamaru."
"Like I'm going anywhere," muttered Shikamaru as he looked at the tent in his pants.
Ino walked over to the desk where her purse was. She opened it and began searching the contents. Shikamaru nervously waited in his chair staring up at the ceiling; his crotch was throbbing.
"I can't believe she's talked me into this. What the hell am I doing?" Muttered Shikamaru.
Just then he saw Ino coming back towards him. She didn't say a word her silence worried Shikamaru. He watched silently as he stood in front of him. She placed both her hands on his knees and she leaned in towards him.
She bent down on her knees and made herself comfortable. She then reached inside Shikamaru's opened pants and pulled out his member. Without any hesitation she placed it in her mouth. Shikamaru gripped the arms of the chair as he looked down at Ino. If anyone ever found out about this he would die from embarrassment, but the more Ino continued the more he didn't care. Shikamaru finally relaxed and lost himself in a world of pleasure.
Ino hummed when he grazed that back of her throat. Shikamaru's jaw tighten; he clenched his teeth in an attempt to keep quiet. He looked down at Ino; her beautiful face slightly flushed. She continued to go down on him while keeping her gaze locked on him the entire time. After a few minutes she reached the top of his dick and she placed a small kiss on his head. She then flicked something towards Shikamaru. He was caught off guard but he managed to catch what she had thrown at him; it was a condom. Ino stood up and walked over to the desk she had been working at. She leaned her body over it and swiveled her hips towards Shikamaru.
"I'm all yours Shikamaru. Come and get me."
Shikamaru nervously fumbled with the condom, it was difficult to focus on the task at hand, what with Ino's swaying her hips waiting for him to take her. Shikamaru managed to remove the condom from its wrapper and he slipped it on. He stood up and grabbed Ino by the hips; he gulped nervously looking at her bent over the table. He lifted up her skirt to see that she had spoken the truth she wasn't wearing any panties. Shikamaru slipped inside his her slowly. He cupped her dangling breasts in his hands as he slowly pumped himself in and out of her.
"Ahhh Shikamaru fuck me, fuck me harder!" Screamed Ino.
"For the love of god Ino keep it down will you," panted Shikamaru.
He knew people could hear Ino loud and clear. The close sign was displayed outside but the shop itself was still open so people could still walk in. It was too late to stop now so Shikamaru picked up his pace, Ino was thrilled at the thought of someone walking in on them, but Shikamaru wasn't. He let go of Ino breasts and placed his hands firmly on her hips to help him penetrate deeper into her.
Ino pushed herself back towards Shikamaru. He groaned deeply as he roughly shoved himself into his pretty blonde. The force he was putting into each of his thrusts was pushing the desk back and forth. Pencils and papers began to roll off and onto the floor. Ino couldn't take Shikamaru's strength on top of her any longer so she rested her chest on top of the cool desk. She felt herself reaching her climax and she screamed in ecstasy as she came all over the place.
Shikamaru's breathing became labored, Ino's quivering walls engulfed Shikamaru which pushed him even closer over the edge. At that very moment Shikamaru's behavior changed. He didn't care if the people outside could hear them, nor did he care if anyone walked in. All that mattered at that moment was him pleasing his gorgeous girlfriend.
Shikamaru finally came and he gave Ino one last thrust for good measure. He panted heavily over her body. Ino felt Shikamaru rest his body on top of hers, she would have slipped off the table had it not been for his weight on her back.
"I hope you're happy," panted Shikamaru.
"I most certainly am," replied Ino.
The two stayed close, while trying catch their breath. A strange noise from within the shop caught both of their attention. Shikamaru quickly lifted himself off Ino and his best to clean himself up. Ino hopped off the table while trying desperately to button her top back up. Shikamaru zipped up his pants and made his way to the door. He looked into the shop, but he saw no one.
"Son of a bitch, I just had to go along with you," whispered Shikamaru.
"What should we do?"
"What's this now? Do I detect some fear in your voice? What happened to wanting someone to catch us?"
"Oh hush."
Another noise from within the shop caused the two lovers to stop arguing.
"Look, clean up as best you can. I'm going to check things out," sighed Shikamaru.
Ino nodded her head and began picking up the mess on the floor. Shikamaru walked into the store and looked around slowly.
"I'm sorry but we're closed for the night. We'll be open tomorrow at 8:00am. I'm sorry for any inconvenience we might have caused with the shop closing early today but we have important business to take care of," said Shikamaru.
He cautiously walked through the small isles in the store. Everything seemed to be normal but Shikamaru couldn't shake off the feeling of being watched. Suddenly he heard some pots fall to the ground. He grabbed a kunai from his holster, cleaned it tightly in his hand, and turned around quickly. There on the floor where the shattered remains of a few ceramic pots. He approached with caution when a small black cat scurried out of the shadows. It quickly passed Shikamaru and disappeared down an alley outside.
"What in the world was that?!" Screamed Ino from the back room.
"It's alright, it was just a cat."
"A cat?" Asked Ino as she peeked her head from the doorway of the back room.
"Yeah, no need to worry."
Ino sighed in relief.
"I'll admit it, that was a little unnerving."
Shikamaru smirked at her, he decided not to tease her since she was going out of her way to admit that she was indeed scared.
"I'll finish closing up the shop while you finishing back there," said Shikamaru as he put his kunai away. Ino nodded her head in agreement.
Shikamaru walked over to light switch and turn off the rest of the lights in the store. He then walked to the front of the shop and began pulling large flower displays back into the store. Upon doing so he heard some faint giggling. He looked up to see a group of young girls, around his age, whispering and pointing at him.
"Well isn't this just peachy, it looks like we've got some admirers. Why did Ino have to be so loud?" Sighed Shikamaru.
He did his best to ignore the group of girls by focusing on closing down the shop. That all changed when he pulled in the last flower arrangement that wasn't too far from the girls. He was now able to hear their hushed conversation perfectly.
"That's Nara Shikamaru," one girl whispered.
"I know, he's such a looker."
"Can you believe the noise that was coming from inside the shop?"
"I know, Yamanaka Ino is so lucky."
"Tell me about it. I wish I had a man who could make me scream like that," giggled one the girls.
Shikamaru felt his face heat up, thanks to his reluctant participation he now had to deal with the consequences, but at least the area the shop was located in had very little traffic for some odd reason, and he would gladly take the group of girls over several people any day.
Shikamaru leaned up against the the flower shop's main window. He decided to have a smoke while he waited for Ino. He wasn't a chain smoker like his sensei Asuma, but he saw no harm in having a smoke every now and then. He took in a long drag from his cigarette, held the smoke for a few seconds, and then released it. He would never admit it to Ino but he had enjoyed himself, despite her choice in venue.
A few minutes passed and Shikamaru threw his cigarette on the floor. He crushed what was left with his foot to make sure it was completely extinguished. The teenage girls were now daring each other to talk to him. He was really dreading that but luckily their chattering stopped once Ino came pulled both glass doors shut and locked them up tight. She then spun around and latched herself onto Shikamaru's arm. She rubbed herself on his shoulder and sighed.
"Thanks for giving in to my guilty little pleasure Shikamaru. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.I love you," cooed Ino.
"I know."
Ino playfully jabbed him in the ribs.
"Ass."
"You know only I'm kidding, I love you too. Now come on let's get going. We have a party to set up."
