A/N: Yay, the last chapter (save for uber-short epilogue)! I hope you'll like it. Not a good theme for 'Miracle', but meh. Nothing more to say here.
Fate brings you together, but it's still up to you to make it happen.
Silent Night, Holy night,
All is calm, all is bright,
The waiting room in the hospital was empty and quiet, save for one, lone figure that sat in the corner, hands tucked deeply inside pockets.
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child,
Holy Infant so tender and mild,
The man sat unmoving for two hours straight already, all the time listening to the soothing sounds of old, traditional carols that echoed over the whole building through the loudspeakers. Few nurses and doctors passed him, casting a brief, worried look, but that's all. He was alone.
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in Heavenly peace...
"Here." A female voice rang somewhere above him and he lifted his bowed head only to see a cup of steaming tea, handed to him by a pink-haired woman. "I have to remind you, you're freshly cured from cold."
Shikamaru mumbled a quiet thanks before sipping the burning liquid. Sakura watched him with concern. "How is she? Naruto went to try and find out something more."
The dark-haired man sighed, placing his other hand around the cup, in an attempt to warm up a bit, even though the hospital wasn't so cold.
He was freezing with fear on the inside.
"I don't know. She's alive and no internal organs were damaged...apparently, the only wound was the injury on her head. She wasn't hit strongly but, unfortunately, she hit a lamp post or something...They're examining her."
Sakura nodded with understanding, taking a seat beside the man. A moment of silence passed.
"Sakura! Shikamaru!" The blonde shouted, albeit a bit quieter than usual, running over to them and waving energetically.
Sakura stood up swiftly and Shikamaru looked at him, alarmed.
"Naruto! Well? What did you find out?"
"...Nothing, actually." The blonde gave a tiny, sheepish smile.
Shikamaru slumped.
Sakura scowled. "Then why did you made such an entry, idiot?"
"I wanted to make sure you notice me..."
"You and your stupid complexes..." Sakura hissed, pulling at Naruto's ear. "It's a hospital. Everyone here is tensed, waiting for the news about people...important to them" – a quick glance to Shikamaru- " You can't just barge in like that. Try to grasp the atmosphere!"
Shikamaru sighed, half-listening to the hushed bickering beside him. "Sakura..."
The Haruno stopped, her attention fully abandoning Naruto and focusing on Shikamaru again. "Yes?"
"Are damages to head...always really serious and life-threatening?"
Her doctors' spirit took control over her and Sakura quickly analyzed the problem, before speaking in a cold, professional tone. "Of course. It can cause paralysis of whole body, amnesia and death too. Our head is where our memories are kept and the center of our nerves-"
A strong elbow jammed into her ribs, successfully making her lose oxygen. Sakura huffed, glaring at Naruto. "What the hell-"
"Sakura-chan...it's not helping." Both of them looked over to their companion, who, during Sakura's speech, buried his face in his palms, the cup long forgotten on the seat beside him.
"D-Don't worry, Shikamaru! I'm sure it's not that serious! It happens rarely, you know. And Ino has a hard head!" Sakura smiled slightly, a nervous and unsure smile. "Besides, there's nothing we can do. We have to wait."
The Nara nodded, silently agreeing. Heavy silence fell on them again.
Shikamaru felt his mind began to wander, leaving the topic of Ino's current state and reminiscing on her state before today's horrible night...
How she was always energetic and lively...
How she kissed him and he kissed her back...
How she kissed that damn pretty-boy in her flower shop...
"Sakura..." He hesitated, resisting the urge to scratch the back of his head or light a cigarette. "Can I ask you something about Ino?"
"Of course." The female looked at him with surprise, startled when the honest, indifferent Shikamaru started fidgeting.
"Does Ino have a boyfriend?"
The words left his mouth in a rush and Sakura couldn't help the small smirk that tugged at the corners of her mouth. "No. She was on few dates but nothing serious, ever since she left high school."
"Why not?"
"Well... Truth to be told, she had an eye on you for quite some time."
Shikamaru's eyes turned round. "What? But...we never met before!"
"Oh, I'm quite sure you did. Not personally, but you passed each other on high school hallways. All of us went to the same school, even if we weren't close friends there."
"Yea! Me and Sakura-chan met only at the end of the last school year! And it was only by a coincidence!" Naruto piped in, for the first time taking part in their discussion.
Sakura cleared her throat. "Yea, well...No wonder you two didn't meet. She was a cheerleader, top student, one of the most popular girls...And you were, well..."
"The president of chess club, had the lowest grades throughout all the years, except last when you were threatened by Asuma-sensei...And you weren't popular at all." Naruto interrupted, smiling.
"Exactly." Sakura nodded, while Shikamaru slumped a bit more in his chair, grumpily muttering 'troublesome' over and over. "Anyway, remember the dance at the end of high school?"
"How could I forget?" Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Naruto and Kiba got drunk and set almost the whole school on fire."
Both, Sakura and Shikamaru glanced accusingly at the blonde.
"It's Kiba's fault! He set me up!"
"Riiiiight..." Sakura muttered. "Back to the topic. At that time, everyone started panicking, remember? Except you, of course. You showed the exit and made sure everyone was safe outside before evacuating yourself. Thanks to you, everyone got out of it without a scratch!"
"If only I weren't drunk, I could do it too!" Naruto interrupted, earning himself another glare. He shut his mouth. "Alright, I get the hint."
"Now, Ino's boyfriend just left her, alone, in the center of all that panic. She didn't know what to do until you came and gave everyone instructions. She was really, really impressed then."
The man felt a blush creep to the tips of his ears and he played with his fingers a bit. "Well, everyone was being troublesome, and I had to do something..."
"The next day, Ino broke up with her boyfriend, saying he's a chicken and that she's looking for a 'real man'. However, high school ended and she had no lead to you. And then, about a year or so ago, we met through Naruto and, of course, I told it to Ino. We were- and still are- best friends, you know."
He frowned, processing all the information he got earlier. "A year ago? But that's...a bit long. Why didn't I meet her before?"
"Don't think Ino didn't try. She pestered me to set you up to a double date: Me and Naruto, you and Ino. However, Naruto told me that in high school one girl, Temari, wanted to go on a date with you and you told her that you aren't interested in 'loud, bossy blondes' only quiet, humble girls. So, I told her just that."
"What?" Shikamaru stuttered, eyes widening even more, if it's possible. "Well, it's true that I...but...Ino's different, you know..."
"Well, I wanted to tell her that you're gay. Ino is really stubborn when it comes to getting something- or someone- she wants." Naruto exclaimed, "But Sakura-chan wouldn't let me."
Shikamaru mentally thanked God or whoever's up there, for making someone as reasonable and sensible as Sakura, Naruto's girlfriend.
"Excuse me."
All three of them shot up from their seats, when they saw a tall doctor, looking down on them with a gentle smile.
"How's Ino?" Naruto and Sakura chorused, with Naruto practically hanging on the doctor's arm. Shikamaru just stood, paralyzed, eyes staring at the doctor's mouth, waiting for the words to come out.
The man delicately pulled Naruto off his arm. "She seems to be fine. It's a miracle, there's nothing serious wrong with her, she's only a bit dazed. We were sure she'd be at least paralyzed, if not in coma...But I guess miracles do happen, especially at Christmas...you may visit her."
Silent Night, Holy night,
All is calm, all is bright,
Shikamaru made a start towards the big, white door, when a firm hand on his sleeve stopped him. He turned around, only to glance into Sakura's deadly serious eyes.
"Shikamaru, listen. If you really think something might work out between you and Ino, go ahead and try. But if you're not one hundred percent sure...Don't give her false hope. It's the worst you can do."
The man gave her a crooked smile before pushing the door open and entering the room.
Naruto slung his arm around Sakura's shoulders. "Come on, Sakura-chan. Let's get going. I have a feeling we aren't needed here anymore..."
"Yea...Let's go home."
"Damn!" Naruto suddenly cursed, slapping his forehead. "I forgot to ask him if the mistletoe helped!"
"What mistletoe?" Sakura asked, looking at her boyfriend confusedly.
Naruto sweat-dropped. "Uh...I'll explain as we ride home, alright?"
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in Heavenly peace...
"What are you doing here?" Ino asked, incredulously looking at the man who just entered her room.
"A girl comes out of my house and gets injured. You don't think I could let it go, just like that, do you?"
He paused, examining her sitting figure, eyes stopping briefly at the bandage on her head. "How are you feeling?"
"...As fine as I ever could, after being hit by a car."
A bit awkward silence, when both of them refused to look into each other eyes.
"How did it happen?" Shikamaru asked finally, in lack of anything better to say. He mentally kicked himself.
"I don't really remember that well. I can remember the sound of brakes, and some bright lights... I was a bit...absentminded."
Of course, Shikamaru thought, inevitably coming back to the moments before the accident. That kiss had quite an effect on me as well.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the nurse giving him discreet signs that his time of visiting comes to an end.
"You know, Ino..." He said, looking down at his hands. "If I was there, I would protect you. Even at the cost of my own life."
Ino's heart increased its' beats and a hot blood flowed onto her usually pale cheeks. She stayed silent.
"Was that kiss...Only to fulfill the tradition or did you want to give me some hints about what could possibly happen between us?" Shikamaru continued, determined to clear up things here and now.
"I wanted to show you, at least briefly, what I think of you and what I want to do with you. I think you're really, really good-looking...And you're a very nice guy." Ino summarized, hands gripping her bed sheets.
Shikamaru willed all the uneasiness he felt to go away. "So, this puts us where, on the scale of relationships?" He asked lazily, still looking onto his hands.
Ino blinked her big, blue eyes at him. "What do you mean, where? You don't like energetic, loud blondes, remember? You think the whole female population is troublesome."
Looks like Sakura told her everything, he cringed.. "Well, yea...But you're different, Ino. You're troublesome, sure, but unlike any other women...You're the only one who's worth the trouble."
Ino's eyes glittered with happiness and he allowed himself a small, purely happy smile.
He put his hands on top of hers, slowly caressing to relive the tension and make them let go the sheets. "So, what do you say, Ino: Will you be my girlfriend?"
A/N: I really, really have to stop putting the heroes in the hospital at the end of my fanfics. I can't help it, though. I find it sweet when one is injured and the other is by her/his side, waiting...Oh, the cuteness.
whenever i'm scared or stressed, i'm cold. Especially my hands. So, that's why I wrote Shika feels the same. --- pointless.
There's still the epilogue. The more you review, the sooner it gets posted. Oh, and free...err...mints for everyone who reviews. (I adore mints.)
MERRY CHRI- gets hit by a random shoe, since there's no snow now- Alright, I get the hint. Snowflakes for everyone who reviewed the last chapter!