This has been recently edited, beacuse it coincided a little too much with a fic a freind of mine wrote. (I'm sorry, Hikari-chan!) Anyways, the story is the same, just a few parts have been slightly altered so there is no confusion or double-stories.

I hope you all still enjoy this fic and I'm sorry if this is too much of a problem for anybody.

Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto.

"I'm home."
"Welcome back, Shikamaru." Ino called from the kitchen.

Shikamaru slumped onto the couch, unzipping his flak jacket and kicking off his shoes.
"Are you making something for dinner?" He called, rubbing his tense shoulders.
"I was just about to start some noodles, did you want something else?" Ino appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, drying her hands with a towel.
"Do you want to go out? I could take a shower and we could go get something to eat for once, save you the trouble of cooking." He said, turning his head to face her.
Ino blinked, contemplating his words. She put her hands on her hips, making an annoyed face.
"You just don't want to have to do the dishes, right?"
"Well, yeah…but it's also troublesome for you to cook. I'm thinking of you too…" He mumbled.
Ino sweat dropped and began to untie her apron. "Alright, I'm in the mood for something different also. Hurry and take a shower, I'll wait." And she disappeared back inside the kitchen, Shikamaru could hear her putting away items as he closed the door to the bathroom.

Eight months had passed, this was their life, a simple routine. Whenever missions didn't interfere, Ino cooked, Shikamaru cleaned after and they both shared the majority of the responsibilities. Ino still helped out at the flower shop in her spare time, Shikamaru would help with the family deer on weekends and they went about their lives normally. (Sometimes Shikamaru would help Ino at the shop, if he had nothing better to do, but he never proved very useful.)
Every so often, they would visit their parents homes, acting like the happy couple their parents wanted them to be…..but something seemed to be missing.

"I don't see how you can eat that stuff, Shikamaru." Ino said, poking at her salad, watching her husband eat his mackerel and kelp, rather quickly, I might add.

"It's just what I like….and you never make it….so I never get to have it." He mumbled between bites, Ino just smiled and watched him devour his meal, while she picked at hers.

He finished and wiped his lips, freeing them of the leftover food.

"Oi, can I have the check, please?" He asked a nearby waiter, knowing that Ino never liked to get dessert at restaurants.

They walked home slowly, letting their food digest, Ino asking Shikamaru questions about his mission, and him only grunting in reply.

"Did you want to stop and see your dad? We haven't been over in a while, I told him you would be back tonight. We could go say hello?" Ino stopped at the turnoff to Shikamaru's parents house, waiting for a reply. Shikamaru shrugged and started down the street, Ino trailing behind him.

"Oh, Shikamaru, Ino! What a surprise! How are you?" Shikamaru's mother answered the door, enveloping her daughter-in-law into a hug. Over the months, she had taken quite a liking to Ino, and was always excited to see her. Taking her by the hand, she dragged the smiling blonde into the living room, leaving Shikamaru behind to shut the door and follow them.

Shikato was sitting on the couch, looking through a book, but set it down once the group entered. The girls talked while the men left for the yard to discuss Shikamaru's latest mission. They barely stayed an hour, talking and eating some of the cake Shika's mom had made earlier in the day. The couple took hands and exited the house, bright smiles on their faces as they headed down the street.

"Ah, isn't it nice that they're so affectionate, Shikato?" Shikamaru's mom said as they watched them disappear into the night.

"Adorable." Shikato grumbled, remembering his conversation with his son.

/Flashback/

"So, how's the married life treating you, kid?" Shikato asked casually, plucking a dead leaf from a nearby plant on the back porch.

"Fine, I guess." Shikamaru replied, kicking a rock and sitting down on a lawn chair.

The older Nara chuckled, leaning on the fence and crossing his arms. "I know it doesn't seem all that great, but look on the bright side…at least now you get to fool around after she yells at you, right?" Shikato grinned.

Shikamaru sighed, burying his head in his hands, not answering.

Shikamato blinked. "Wait a minute…you mean you guys haven't even….it's been eight months, Shikamaru!"

"I know, dad….it just….never happened." Shikamaru grumbled.

"Not even your honeymoon?"

"We didn't really have a honeymoon, she had that mission in the wave country, remember?"

"Well, what's stopping you now?"

"I just….can't. Something always gets in the way…" Shikamaru started to sound depressed.

"Well, I do want grandchildren someday, son. You'd better get going soon. This is no way to have a successful marriage."

"Yeah, yeah." Shikamaru got up and headed back inside, Shikato following slowly behind.

/End Flashback/

"I hope they'll be alright…"

"I think they went inside, you can let go now, if you'd like." Ino said, looking at the ground as they walked.

"Feh, it doesn't matter to me. It was your idea to put on this little front in the first place. If you don't want to, I won't force you." Shikamaru loosened his grip and let her fingers slip away from his.

"I just thought that it was nice to look happy in front of our parents, this marriage is their idea in the first place anyway…" she mumbled, fiddling with the long strands of hair that fell over her shoulders. "I don't mind."

Shikamaru only grunted.

It was a beautiful night, no clouds, but the sky was littered with bright starts, the full moon made it seem like dawn was beginning to light the sky, casting a blue light onto everything it touched. Shikamaru glanced over at his wife, who was staring up into space, admiring the night sky.

She was stunning…the way the moonlight cast shadows over her face and shimmered in her hair as it flowed in the slight breeze. Why was it so rare for him to notice her beauty? He raised his hand to brush away a few stray hairs, accidentally touching his fingers to her parted lips in the process, causing her to look at him and smile.

They continued to walk towards their house, their paces matching perfectly as the crossed the dimly lit streets.

They reached their doorstep and Ino disappeared inside the darkness, leaving him outside, staring after her retreating form.

After a moment, he heard a shower running and sighed, knowing that meant she was getting ready for bed. He glanced at the clock on the wall, 10:49 pm. It was time for him to be sleeping too.

He pulled off his shirt and pants, throwing them into the basket in the corner and sat on his side of the bed. He heard the shower turn off and pulled his hair from it's tie atop his head, smoothing it flat around his shoulders.

Ino emerged in a blue robe, her hair tied in a clip, he watched as she searched her closet for a nightgown. His gaze was broken by her clearing her throat, and he instinctively turned to face the other direction as she changed.

He felt her slide into the bed beside him, burying herself deep under the covers.

"Sakura's wedding is Friday, you got the missions' reprieve, right?" She asked as she settled in.

"Yeah."

Shikamaru flicked off the light, pulling the covers over him and lying back onto the pillow beside Ino, who seemed to already be asleep. It amazed him how she could do that. Sure, he was lazy, but he couldn't fall asleep that fast…

Her rhythmic breathing soothed him…he wanted to touch her, to feel her breath on his skin. Just once….

It had been months since they were married, and they still had never made love. It infuriated Shikamaru that he didn't even have the courage to sleep with his own wife after the months they'd been together.

Shikamaru rolled over onto his side, resting his head on his elbow, watching Ino sleep. His eyes swept over her, her neck, the lace of her shirt, the rise and fall of her breasts as she breathed.

"Why can I never find the courage to tell you how much I love you, Ino?" He whispered to himself, brushing a strand of her hair away as he gazed at her.

"Or how beautiful you are to me?" He added, his fingers lingering on her cheek. He kissed her forehead and settled into his pillow, closing the usual distance between them, if only by an inch or two. Before drifting off to sleep, he placed his larger hand over her smaller one under the covers, lulled to sleep by her constant breathing.

Ino's lips curved up into a smile.

"-amaru? Shikamaru?" Shikamaru drifted awake, opening his eyes can coming face to face with two blue eyes staring at him. He blinked groggily, until he realized the position he was in.

Apparently, Shikamaru had rolled over in the course of the night and was now laying on top of Ino, his face buried in her breasts.

"Ano, Shikamaru…could you get up please, I need to get breakfast started." Ino said, surprisingly calm.

He jolted upwards, preparing for impact, this had never happened before and he didn't know what to expect.

Ino simply stood and adjusted her nightshirt. "Omelets okay? I crave rice omelets." She said, turning to him and smiling.

"No rice, please. Just cheese is fine." He said, his voice cracked as he talked.

Shikamaru sighed in relief, pulled on a pair of pants and followed her into the kitchen, she was already started on breakfast so he laid out the plates for her.

"Sakura wants me over almost all day, she's a wreck. She's all worried about her dress and something about the cake, so I should be pretty busy."

"I'll probably just hang out with Chouji and the guys most of the day. Do I still have to go to that Bachelor party-thing?" Shikamaru grumbled, sitting in his seat at the table.
"Yes. Don't worry about it though, Sakura's bachelorette party is right across the hall. It was her way of making sure Naruto doesn't do anything too stupid. Smart, if you think about it, she learned from your party." Ino giggled.

Shikamaru blushed at the thought of his own, highly forced upon him, bachelor party. Someone (Probably his father…) had hired two stunning dancers for the evening, despite Shikamaru's threats. After a half hour of watching two half-naked women dance around, he finally drank enough sake to pass out and save himself.

It was an experience he wished he could just forget.

"It's not like I wanted them there…" He grumbled, eating his food.

"Of course….anyways, I'll just meet you back here tonight, I have no idea what time, whoever's here first will leave the lights on for the other, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"See you tonight!" Ino yelled as she walked out the door, heading for Sakura's house.

Shikamaru walked around the house for a while, straightening up a little and gradually getting dressed.

After an hour or so, he, too, closed their front door behind him and headed into town, knowing that everyone would probably already be at ichiraku.

"Oi! Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru winced at hearing his name called from the little stand.

"Yo." He greeted Neji, Kiba, Shino, Chouji and Naruto.

"Everyone's here already?"

"All but, Lee." Kiba laughed. Shikamaru's curious stare turned to Neji, who sighed.

"He's in mourning, since Sakura's getting married tomorrow. He was wailing about how he'll never love again."

"I thought he had some girl from the sand all over him a while ago, what happened with that?"

"Still the same, old crushes just die hard."

Shikamaru sat down in the empty seat next to Chouji, who was finishing up a ramen.

"How's Ino?"

Shikamaru smiled. "Same, she never changes. Nothing ever changes…."

Chouji gave his friend a weak smile and placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort his friend.

"Bwahahaha! I'm going to beat the rest of you by getting laid first!" Naruto chimed, twirling his chopsticks in his fingers.

"Shikamaru's already done that, baka." Kiba retaliated.

"That's right, you should be asking him for all the advice he can give, he's experienced."

"Yeah, Naruto no baka, you don't want to totally botch things on the wedding night, right?" Kiba howled, smacking the blonde's back, causing him to fall over.

"Shikamaru! Come on, give me some tips!" He asked, sitting down beside him.

Shikamaru only sat in silence.

"Come on, don't be stingy, Shikamaru." Kiba joined in. "Share your knowledge." He joked.

"Oh, drop it, Naruto, you'll just have to find out for yourself.' Chouji chimed in, trying to reprieve his friend.

"No way! Shikamaru's a veteran now, he needs to share the knowledge of his dealings. Unless he's never done anything either…"

Shikamaru's head found it's way to the table, landing with a thud.

Silence….

Silence…

Silence…

"No way…"

"But you've been together for over six months!"

"That's wrong, man."

"Cough…"

"Why me?"

The day passed, rather slowly for Shikamaru, who bore with the teasing for most of the day, until Neji and Chouji stepped in and demanded that it stop. Evening fell and the bachelor and bachelorette parties began. Even the old genin leaders and teachers were there, Tsunade was the life of the party on the girls' side.

"Ino! Come dance with me!"

"Sakura, say cheese!"

"Hinata, don't just sit there!"

"Someone take that sake from Tsunade-sama, she's going to fall over!"

The noise was unimaginable.

Meanwhile, on the guys' side, things were just as lively. Lee had sparked a drunken fighting match and was winning until he passed out on the floor. Now, with every match lost, a drink was downed.

Shikamaru seemed to be having a bad night…and seemed to loose every match, with the exception of Kiba, who could barely stand anymore.

"That's thirteen, Shikamaru!" Naruto bellowed, shoving another glass into the disheveled man's hand. He shrugged and downed the drink, slamming it on the table afterwards.

Sake helped to loosen him up, it seemed. Alcohol was in his blood and he could drink all night and feel fine the next morning. So, what the hell?

In the end, the matches stood extremely uneven, with Neji winning, having only taken three drinks. Naruto had 15 (Mostly because he wanted to), Chouji- 13, Kiba- 21, Shikamaru 18 and Lee- 6 (though still unconscious). (nobody else was accounted for and Shino didn't play.)

Shikamaru stared at the clock, struggling to read the twirling numbers.

"11:….50?"

"Alright, time to head home, big day tomorrow!" They heard Tsunade-sama call from the other room.

Naruto bounded off, looking for Sakura, Neji picked Lee up and headed for the door. Shino slung Kiba over his shoulders and followed and Chouji wobbled off. Shikamaru slowly stood and followed their example.

Outside, he found Sakura, trying to tame Naruto and asked where Ino was.

"She went home about an hour ago, she didn't think you would stay." She replied, ignoring Naruto nuzzling his way into her chest.

Shikamaru frowned at his friend and headed off in the direction, waving off Sakura's questioning him as stable enough to get home.

As expected, the house was lit when he got home, Ino obviously had beaten him. He fumbled with his keys and opened the door, making a lot more noise than usual. He stumbled up the stairs, discarding clothing as he went.

"Shikamaru?" Ino said, groggily, sitting up in the bed.

"I was wondering how late you were going to stay out, did you have fun? Was Naruto- Shikamaru?"

The semi-conscious man, was stalking over to her side of the bed, his eyes only half-lidded, as if he was sleepwalking!

"Shika-!" She was silenced by his lips crushing against hers, forcibly taking their first kiss in months. His tongue probed her lips, demanding entry as he kissed her.

'What's gotten into him!' Then she tasted, it…

Sake.

Shikamaru was never this daring, even on their wedding night, he had hesitated to even sleep beside her. No wonder it took sake for him to force himself on her. She knew it must've been frustrating for him, married for eight months without making love once…The had shared exactly 11 kisses since their marriage, Ino had kept count. Not very good for a newlywed couple.

Ino had to admit, she liked this but…it was a little sudden…

His left hand took her wrist and lifted it above her head, restraining her with his strength, while the other hand ran his fingers up her leg, raising her nightgown. He had moved and was now kissing her neck, drawing further down, nearing her breasts. By now, he was fully lying on top of her, their legs entwined. Ino could feel her breath become shorter as he pressed against her.

"Ino…" He whispered into her skin, his breath warming her instantly.

His grip loosened and his head sank into the mattress and Ino could feel his breathing become more rhythmic and relaxed. She craned her neck to see his eyes closed, sleeping peacefully.

For a moment, she was enraged, but she soon abandoned her thoughts of smacking her husband awake and rolled him off of her, to the side. Keeping under his arm, she settled into his chest.

"Baka…" She mumbled, forcing herself to sleep.

Dammit, she actually liked that…

Thanks to all who read, I'll try and have the next chapter up soon! Please Review!

And Hikari-chan, since I changed it, you have to update one of your fics. (One of the one I likes!) Yay!

Review!