Italics mean thoughts!
So Predictable: Shika Style!
The moment he heard her voice, his ears perked up and he found himself letting out a small sigh as he reluctantly opened an eye. He could slightly make out that familiar long blonde hair and purple clothing. He inwardly sighed again, trying to remember if he did anything wrong over the past few days. The chunin was pleased to announce that he, in fact, had done nothing wrong to upset his fellow teammate; which thankfully crosses out the reason of her coming to him because she was angry.
But then again girls were complicated creatures…
He finally stopped his overly huge thinking process as it rounded up the twentieth reason why the blonde would look for him and he asked in a lazy voice.
"What?"
Of course he said it within earshot of the two females.
What happened next was not within his calculations and he could only watch quietly as Ino turned around to Sakura, saying something that he guessed was bad news for the pink haired girl because she in turned stuck her nose up in the air haughtily and turned on her heel in a huff.
Shikamaru continued to watch the two girls until they were gone from his line of vision. He shrugged to himself and lie back into the grass.
"What was that about?"
He stared back up at the cotton balls in the sky and he came to a conclusion.
"Ino's up to something…"
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His theory was soon proven correct when he noticed that same blonde haired girl had been following him ever since he got up from that grassy spot on the fields. He sighed and rolled his eyes. Weren't they supposed to be ninja? And according to the definition of ninja in his sturdy and unused dictionary (with brains like his he didn't even know why he carried one…), a ninja was supposed to be stealthy.
Apparently the dictionary was wrong…
Shikamaru purposely slowed his pace and listened as the so called stealthy kunoichi of Konoha began chattering away to each other. He soon caught enough glimpses of their conversation to put the pieces together.
So…Ino wanted to prove to Sakura that he was predictable…interesting…
Shikamaru turned the corner and entered Ichiraku, his ears carefully strained to hear Ino gloat about being right. He shook his head in amusement and fully entered the stall, spotting our hyperactive ninja scarfing down on his third bowl of ramen. Naruto sensed someone at his side and turned to face them, bits of food still on his cheek.
"Shikamaru!" he greeted cheerfully.
The Nara found himself wondering how Naruto could possibly say his name clearly when a third of the contents in the bowl were stuffed in his mouth. He nodded his head in acknowledgement and sat down beside the blonde.
Shikamaru ordered a bowl of beef ramen and wondered if Ino and Sakura were still around.
Suddenly, Naruto's head perked up and he began to look around questioningly.
Shikamaru raised his brow in question.
"What is it?"
"I have a weird feeling that Sakura-chan is nearby…" the blonde said as he finally settled his eyes down on the steaming bowl of ramen that was being placed in front of him. Shikamaru froze up at the comment. How this boy knew he didn't know but he found a little voice in his mind telling him that love was a scary thing indeed…
"How is that even possible?" The shogi player rolled his eyes and split his chopsticks into two, realizing how hungry he was when Ayame placed his order down. He thanked her and dunked his chopsticks into the bowl, pulling up some noodles to stuff in his mouth.
"Of course it's possible! When you're in love that is!" Naruto grinned and sighed dreamily as he thought about his cherry blossom maiden. Shikamaru watched the self-proclaimed hokage with little interest. He slurped his soup and rolled his eyes, praying that Naruto wouldn't go all double chromosome on him and start discussing his love for Haruno.
"Come on Shikamaru…don't you get that feeling whenever you're around that one girl?" Naruto asked as he held the ramen bowl up to his lips, ready to slurp the soup.
"What girl?" he asked warily, hoping that Naruto wouldn't say the name he thought he would say. He continued to empty his bowl.
"Mmm don't remember her name….that kunoichi from the sand…" he placed his bowl down gently and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Shikamaru wanted to sigh loudly again but refrained from doing so.
"How many times do I have to tell you…we are NOT dating!" he mumbled, rolling his eyes to look at the ceiling. He should record himself saying "Temari and I are NOT dating" and give it to Naruto so he wouldn't have to waste his breath with trying to drive the information into the idiots head.
Naruto gave him a suspicious look but was soon replaced by a sly grin. Shikamaru had the urge to bang his head on the table but he looked at Naruto, prepared for whatever idiotic thing that would spill from his mouth.
"Then what about Ino?" he asked amusingly, putting emphasis on the girls name.
Shikamaru placed his chopsticks on top of his empty bowl calmly. He'd be damned if he was going to let Naruto of all people find out about his growing adoration for his teammate…
"What about her?" he asked casually, his tone laced in boredom. Naruto's grin gradually turned downwards until a frown dawned on his face, his brows furrowed in frustration. His blue eyes roamed over Shikamaru's stoic expression, trying to look for some hidden meaning to his words but found none.
Shikamaru inwardly smirked when Naruto turned grumpily in his seat with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Geez…You're no fun…I'd sure pity the girl who would choose to date you…" Naruto shook his head in sympathy and Shikamaru smirked again, handing over his ryou to Teuchi.
"Well, see you around Naruto…" he said as he sat up and exited the stall quietly.
"Shikamaru!" the kyuubi called after the lazy genius.
Shikamaru lifted the flap back up and peered inside, a scowl on his face.
"You sure it's not Ino?" Naruto asked again and the response he got back was the shadow nin turning on his heel calmly, walking away.
Shikamaru shook his head again and momentarily peered to his right to see Sakura looking his way while Ino had her head resting on her crossed arms, sleeping peacefully. The two were sitting at a nearby café. He quickly turned his eyes away when Sakura turned back to the blonde, shaking her gently to wake her up. When Shikamaru was sure he was out of their field of vision, he quickly made hand seals and a shadow copy appeared by his side. The copy nodded and hopped above the roofs of the buildings until it stopped just above the café, hiding itself behind the large sign.
"Hurry up! He's leaving!" Sakura yelled as Ino sat up and rubbed her eyes sleepily. Ino yawned, covering her mouth with her hand politely. She looked over just in time to see Shikamaru's ponytail disappear behind a building.
"He's going to Asuma-sensei's to play Shogi" Ino said as she let out another yawn and stood up from her seat, stretching her arms out. The shadow copy poofed away and Shikamaru continued to walk down the path, mentally noting that Sakura and Ino had started to follow him once again.
Shikamaru stuffed his hands into his pockets and held in his chuckle, a small smile appearing on his lips.
Ino was really good…
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"Ah, Shikamaru!" Asuma called out as he sat on the wooden walkway that surrounded his house. (A/N: What is this called?! I don't know Japanese houses well…) He took the cigarette out of his mouth and tapped it lightly causing the ashes to fall on the ground.
Shikamaru spotted his sensei and walked over to the bearded man, greeting him as he took a seat in front of the shogi board that lie beside Asuma. He saw that the pieces were already in place.
"You actually have the game set up for once?" The lazy genius asked in mock disbelief. Asuma grinned and turned around after grinding his cigarette butt into the ground, sitting in front of the shogi board opposite of Shikamaru.
"Yeah, this game has to be quick though. I have somewhere to go at 7" Asuma said as he watched Shikamaru make his first move. Shikamaru looked back up at his sensei after moving his pawn. Seven o' clock? That was at least 3 hours away…
"Hmm if you want to go on your date earlier you can just forfeit and be on your way" Shikamaru said smugly as he smirked at his teacher. Asuma frowned and moved his own piece forward.
"It's not a date and this time I'll win for sure…" he said confidently and watched carefully as Shikamaru moved another pawn.
"Right…" Shikamaru said disbelievingly and shrugged off the matter, his focus on his next move.
After an hour of playing (and Asuma losing miserably…again…), Asuma and Shikamaru decided to take a small break and Shikamaru sat on the porch, staring up as he waited for Asuma to come back with the snacks. His mind suddenly drifted off to think about his teammate and he sat up slightly, wondering where she was at the moment. He looked around to search for any signs of Ino or Sakura. It was risky if he made a shadow clone now because he had no idea where they were and if they were watching him.
Shikamaru thought about the chances of them watching him. Well…knowing them they would be bored with watching him play shogi so maybe they were off chatting somewhere. Shikamru sat up and dusted his pants off. Whatever, He would take the risk. He made hand signals and another copy of him appeared. He told the copy to stay there while he go search for the girls and most likely the copy obeyed.
He didn't know why but a gut feeling was telling him to head towards the sakura tree that grew outside of Asuma's estate. He hopped on the tree that was beside the cherry blossom tree, only a tall concrete wall dividing the two and he peered over the wall cautiously. He blinked surprised at how his intuition was correct. He watched the two girls quietly, both lying on the branches of the tree, their heads both leaning on another branch nearby and their eyes closed shut. The chunin's hazel eyes darted over to Ino who slept soundly and peacefully, her bangs cover her right eye and blowing lazily in the wind. He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face as he watched the angel perched on the tree serenely. Shikamaru slowly backed away and jumped out of the tree, landing gracefully on the ground and walked back to his copy that disappeared into smoke when he saw him.
Asuma came out a few minutes after Shikamaru had settled down, lying on the wooden floor to stare at the clouds. He placed a saucer down next to the boy and then a teacup on top of it. Shikamaru sat up, thanking the man and held out the teacup so Asuma could pour him a cup.
After a short moment of silence, Asuma decided to speak up.
"So…what're Sakura and Ino doing here?" he asked casually, taking a sip from his tea.
Shikamaru's eyes widened and he placed the teacup down on the floor hastily, coughing and gagging as he felt the tea run down the wrong tube.
"Wha-What do you mean?" he asked as he finally calmed down, beating his chest again for good measure. Asuma looked at him passively. Shikamaru flinched and he knew he was caught.
Well…it wouldn't hurt to tell Asuma…the girls were sleeping and too far away to hear their conversation anyways.
He shrugged, he'll do the regretting later…
A few minutes later, Asuma was laughing loudly, his hand slapping his thigh to help the growing pain in his stomach. Shikamaru's brows furrowed slightly. Now was the time to regret…
"I don't see what's so funny old man" he said and moved another piece forward. He grinned to himself quietly. Only three more moves and he would win again. He seriously needed to find a more challenging competitor. Asuma stopped laughing at hearing the word 'old'.
"How rude…" he muttered as he moved his knight. Shikamaru smiled and moved another piece, killing off Asuma's last move.
"Mmm women are such fascinating creatures aren't they?" he laughed as mischief danced in his eyes. Shikamaru looked at him for a bit before replying…
"…more like troublesome creatures…" he muttered and Asuma laughed again.
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Shikamaru waved to Asuma as he headed off towards the gate. He had won another game against Asuma and he was surprised that the man still had the will to play against him. He placed his hands behind his head contently and spotted the Sakura tree just ahead to his right. He smirked and casually strolled over to the tree, making sure his presence was unnoticed. He peered up at the tree, seeing that Sakura was asleep and Ino was staring at a bunch of blossoms in her hands. He smiled up at her before speaking.
"Ino…?" he asked questioningly, faking a confused look. He watched amusingly as Ino dropped the blossoms in her hand, causing them to scatter to the floor in a big heap. He watched as she found her balance on the tree and she looked down at him, her cheeks flaming up at the realization of being caught. Shikamaru noted that she should blush more often. Ino straightened up and stared back down at him.
"H-Hey there Shikamaru!" She greeted weekly as she kicked her friend awake. Sakura opened her eyes and glared at Ino before realizing the boy below them.
"Sh-Shikamaru!" she squeaked. Shikamaru spared Ino his intense gaze and shifted his eyes to look at Sakura.
"Haruno? What are you two doing here?" he questioned again, skeptical. Sakura bit her lip.
"We…We were just…" he noticed how hard she tried to make up an excuse.
"…walking around and we saw this gorgeous tree so we climbed up to have a closer look!" Ino finished for the other girl, as she laughed nervously. Shikamaru inwardly smirked as he watched Ino squirm from his gaze. In really was no good at lying when she got nervous…
"Really?" The cloud gazer asked, he would let her off the hook for now…no matter how lame and ridiculous her excuse was. Ino nodded her head quickly in response. Would he be considered a sadist if he admitted that he enjoyed watching Ino squirm in displeasure?
Shikamaru decided to shrug off the matter and he turned on his heel to leave.
…but not after poking a little fun at the girls first…
"Well whatever the reason, don't stay up there too long…you don't know how many bugs are infested on that thing…"
He smiled in victory as he heard the ear-piercing screams just seconds later…
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After about 10 minutes, he found the two girls pursuing him again and he smiled. He already had his copy ninja following close by.
Five minutes later, his copy disappeared and the newly aquired information came into his head.
Hmm Chouji's house was it? Well he had been meaning to stop by but he had remembered a few minutes back that he had to run an errand to the Hokage's office. He shrugged again. He could always put it off til' tomorrow…And besides, he'd let Ino bask in her own glory for once.
He set off for Chouji's house and continued to walk in silence until he arrived ten minutes later.
He walked up to the door and knocked on it loudly. He waited until he heard patting footsteps from inside and Chouji opened the door, a slightly confused look on his face.
"Shikamaru? You're by yourself?" The chubby boy asked as he looked behind his friend. Shikamaru nodded and gave the boy a weird look.
"Why wouldn't I be by myself?" He questioned as he stepped inside the house as he watched Chouji close the door. Chouji crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged.
"I'm pretty sure I saw Ino and Sakura tagging along when I was looking down from my window…" he scratched his head and the two walked up the stairs. Shikamaru face-palmed and shook his head in shame. He couldn't believe Ino and Sakura were being that obvious when they were supposed to be on a 'secret' spy mission. The two boys made it up the steps and Chouji opened the door leading to the rooftop and the two stepped out. Shikamaru and Chouji both leaned onto the metal railing, staring into the scenic sunset. After a short moment passed, Chouji looked down to his left noticing a flash of blonde hair.
"Oh hey! There's Ino!" Chouji pointed out as the blonde began to walk away, Sakura jogging behind to catch up with her.
"Hmm well what do you know…she called it a day" Shikamaru smirked as he watched the blonde walk away with Sakura trotting behind. Chouji looked at Shikamaru questioningly and the Nara in turn shook his head.
"Oh…it's nothing…"
Chouji looked thoughtful but then sat back down on the small bench, watching his friend watch the Yamanaka carefully.
"So when are you gonna tell her?" he spoke suddenly causing Shikamaru to look his way.
"Tell her? Who?" he played dumbly.
"Don't play dumb! Ino of course!" Chouji asked again.
Shikamaru sighed and scratched his head sheepishly while waiting for Ino to disappear behind the building.
"Hmm maybe tonight…" he found himself saying quietly, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Chouji at the comment straightened up abruptly.
"Really??" he asked curiously.
All he got in reply was a small nod.
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Shikamaru walked aimlessly along the dark streets of Konoha. He was still debating on whether he should tell Ino or not. Well at least if she chose to reject him he already had 200 ways to prepare himself for it. He grumbled something incoherent and kicked at the dirt only to realize a moment later that he was in front of the Yamanaka household. He looked up at the welcoming lights and warmth pf the house and he hesitantly walked up to the front door.
"Well…like I said…I'll do the regretting later…" he muttered as he pressed the doorbell calmly. He stood, staring at the ground until he heard sets of footsteps coming from inside and the muffled voices of Sakura and Ino.
As the front door opened he stared into shocking green eyes.
"Shikamaru?!" the pink-haired kunoichi stood flabbergasted as she looked at his bored expression. The boy was about to ask for Ino when he saw her peering from behind the girl. He watched as her expression turned grim and she said in an annoyed voice "What are YOU doing here?!"
Shikamaru smirked and entered the doorway just as Sakura stepped aside to let him in.
"What? Did you think I'd be somewhere else?" he leered at her as he watched her back away at their close proximity.
Shikamaru didn't listen as the blonde made up some bad excuse that he unfortunately didn't care for at the moment. Instead, he had his eyes trained on her nice and very inviting lips.
He looked back into her surprised eyes.
"Uh-huh…tell me Ino…" he spoke quietly as he leaned his face closer to her just as her back hit the wall. He watched as she squirmed underneath him and smiled to himself.
"…what am I going to do now?" he asked quietly, whispering slowly into her ear. Ino's face flamed as his breathe fanned her face when he brought his face even more closer to hers.
"well…?" he whispered again and before Ino could say anything he swooped down to capture her lips with his. He moved his right hand to touch her cheek gently as he deepened the kiss even further, Ino clutching weakly onto his chest.
After what seemed like eternity he broke the kiss reluctantly and smirked as he saw Ino's flushed cheeks and swollen lips. The Yamanaka stared at him with a mix of emotions running inside her and panted heavily as her body welcomed the needed air. The blonde tried her hardest not to pull the boy back into a crushing lip lock when she saw that sexy grin on his face.
Before she knew it Shikamaru had backed up and had begun to walk towards the door. He nodded to the obviously embarrassed and surprised Sakura and he placed his hand on the doorframe carefully, adding a smartass comment as he left the house.
He walked out of the house calmly and stared at the glowing stars in the sky and licked his lips, tasting the sweetness the girl of his dreams left him.
I guess there will be no regretting tonight...
ZOMG! FINALLY!
Urghh it seemed reeeally boring to me…in my opinion…I'm sorry guys…but I hoped you at least liked it a little…
Reviews would be nice…