Wow, I've actually finished a story! There's a first time for everything, right? :) So, dear readers, I really really hope you'll enjoy the last chapter and I also hope I didn't disappoint any of you! Have fun ;)

For the last time: I don't own Naruto or any of the amazing characters.

Chapter 9 : Crawling back to you

Ino sat alone in the interrogation room. She looked at the device that her father had used to get into Pein's mind and wondered if she would be able to use it one day. The kunoichi closed her eyes and focused her mind and chakra in her head.

"Here again, Ino?" a familiar voice called from behind her. She turned over in her chair to face her father.

"Dad! You're home already?"

"Well, I come here very often but I still don't call it "home"" Inoichi designated the interrogation room and his daughter rolled her eyes and patted the chair next to her, inciting him to sit with her.

"I was thinking I might try and learn to read minds, and maybe learn how to use your device…"

"Ah, be careful with mind-reading, honey. It's not just a random inspection, you learn every darkest action or thought of the person in front of you. It's not as much fun as it seems."

Inoichi sat next to her daughter and turned his chair so he faced the young woman who was still eyeing the device.

"I know daddy, but I think it's really time I'd learn to be useful…"

"What in the world ever made you think you weren't, sweetheart?"

"You know, on the battle field, I'm no good at attacking and my defence is mediocre. I figured I could at least learn to spy or interrogate, since everyone has this idea that because I'm a Yamanaka, I'm an expert in those two domains…"

"Well, if you really want to learn, I can speak with the Hokage and ask her to let you come on my mission tomorrow. How does that sound?"

Ino's eyes widened and she flashed her father that Christmas-Eve's-smile. The man looked at his only child with a faint smile, more concerned than happy.

"You'd do that, daddy? It would be great, I could observe your every move and-…"

"Ta ta ta, you're not coming on a mission to observe, kiddo! You'll be doing the spying with me and you will do the mind reading. On your own."

"Oh… Are you sure that I'm-.."

"Ready? Believe me, Ino, you're never ready to enter someone's soul in its deepest and foulest corners. But since you want to learn that bad, I agree for you to do it. It's up to you to decide if you think you've got the guts."

"I've definitely got the guts, father!"

The young woman did a soldier salutation and laughed. Inoichi stroke the girl's cheek with his fingers. She was the most precious thing he had on earth, and she didn't know what she was up against. The ninja could feel the pain in his heart just thinking of the state she'd be coming home in, reminding his own first infiltration mission.

"I never could have wished for a better daughter."

"And do you ever wish you had a son, like your teammates?"

"Never. You and your mother are the sunshine in my life, the best part of it."

"I love you, dad." Ino smiled and leaned her cheek in her father's palm.

"I love you more, kid."

"Ino, would you please come out of that bathroom!" Sakura shouted from the blonde's bedroom.

"Shut up, I'm miserable!" Ino shouted back, sitting on the bathroom floor, crying.

"Yes, I know, Drama Queen! But maybe if you came out we could be miserable together, don't be selfish!"

The Yamanaka girl kicked the door open and looked down at her friend with fierce eyes.

"You have nothing to be miserable about! You're dating your hot, mysterious and over-aged sensei! You're smiling in your sleep, for crying out loud!"

"Look at the bright side," the pinkette smiled innocently. "You came out of the bathroom!"

Ino looked at the other for a moment before falling on her knees theatrically and crying her soul out. Sakura sighed then sat down on the floor next to her friend, patting her shoulder lightly.

"I was so much happier when I was a slut!" the blonde stuttered.

"Maybe, but you were a way too slutty slut!"

"You're not helping, Sakura!"

"I'm trying, pig! It's not easy consoling you when I don't even know why you're crying! Do you even know?"

The blonde looked up at the other, blinking for a second, then bursting out in fury and tears.

"Of course I know! I'm not the schizophrenic one here! I'm in love with my childhood friend who doesn't give a damn about me and is dating a sand-witch! And I'm about to leave on a mission and I'm absolutely not ready, I'm scared to death!"

"Could someone please make her shut up!" Sasuke's irritated voice came from the opposite corner of the room.

"Shut it, Uchiha!" both girls shouted back at him. He muttered some curse then turned back into silence.

"God, he's getting on my nerves!" Sakura hissed. "And you, you should forget Shikamaru, and focus on your training, if you continue like this, you might well become the next Ibiki!"

Ino looked at the pinkette then started sobbing again. Sakura understood her mistake and tried to make it up.

"Oh no, without the scars and the bald head, of course! I'm sorry, Ino!"

"You're right, forehead! I'm gonna end up old, lonely, ugly and full of scars! Bald, even!"

"You know that's not what I meant, pig! You'll get over Shikamaru and will be a brilliant kunoichi!"

"That's the problem, I don't want to get over him! This pain is so real, for the first time in so long I feel like living, Sakura! I feel normal, but on the other hand, I miss my friend, and that's unbearable.."

"So, are you saying you're a masochist?"

Ino looked blankly at the other.

"And people say you're smart. Ironic."

"Oh, shut up, pig!"

"Go to hell, billboard-brow!"

"Why don't you both shut up, for a change?" Sasuke interfered.

"Drop dead!"

"Bite me!"

The two girls did a high five, enjoying the irritated look on the Uchiha's face. They laughed for a moment, then Sakura held Ino's hands in hers and looked almost concerned when she spoke to her.

"Be careful on your mission, Ino. And stop beating yourself up with all this messed up stuff! Enjoy learning from your father and you'll see, when you're focused, your problems seem to fade away."

"Thank you, Sakura. I'll try and do my best, I promise!"

"You're the best, Ino. The others can rot in hell, get it ?"

"Aye aye, captain!"

Shikamaru's POV :

The five ninja's woke up in Kiba's room late in the morning. Shikamaru had been sleeping on the floor with Choji, Neji occupied the couch and Kiba and Naruto shared the bed. The strategist sat up first and went to the bathroom. He watched his reflection in the mirror. He had dark circles under his eyes. None of them had had much time to rest last night. The Nara boy washed his face and got changed, ready to leave. He had many things he needed to fix, the sooner the better.

Grabbing his small backpack, Shikamaru left the Inuzuka mansion quietly, the others were still recovering from the crazy night they'd just spent drinking. The shadow-caster's head was throbbing, as he tried to get some order in his thoughts while walking through the already crowded streets of Konoha. He had dreamt of Ino the last night, and the dream seemed so real. Ino had appeared in front of him, and there was absolutely nobody else in the white room where they were. She had caressed his cheek and smiled sweetly. Shikamaru felt his stomach aching in a familiar way while he was remembering every detail of the dream. Then, the blonde had taken him in her arms, and whispered in a warm way in his ear. He remembered precisely what she had told him: "Just you and me. Always."

Shikamaru didn't notice he was almost running, excitement flowing through his veins. He wasn't sure what he was going to do, nor how, but he knew the only thing he could think about at the precise moment was Ino. Those beautiful sapphire blue eyes, that perfect smile that only belonged to her, that lean and soft neck,…

Suddenly, the Nara stopped walking. The passionate and emotional side had taken over him, but now the rational and analytical side was back. And what if she was really just scared to lose him as a friend? Maybe her jealousy was only and exclusively because she was possessive over her friends. After all, people don't change in just a month, do they? There was also Temari who was to be considered in the equation. For very long, she was the only woman Shikamaru thought of, why would he suddenly make up his mind, especially now that he actually had the sand princess? But then, how could it be that he didn't feel such strong feelings for her anymore? And everyone around him seemed to encourage him to turn his back on the older woman rather than on his teammate.

"I've got to speak to Ino, it's the only way I will know for sure…" Shikamaru thought.

The young man ran towards the Yamanaka house. People that came in his way were pushed roughly away. He felt the adrenaline pumping in his system and he was sprinting even faster. Arrived to the house, he rang and knocked on the door, but nobody came. Shikamaru then went to the store and found only Ino's mother at the counter, putting together a modest but beautiful bouquet.

"Oh, hello Shikamaru! It's been so long…"

"I'm sorry, Yamanaka-san, I don't have a lot of time. I'm looking for Ino, do you know where I can find her?"

"I'm afraid she's gone on an infiltration mission with her father, didn't she tell you?"

"Infiltration mission?" Shikamaru hissed, concerned. "No, she didn't say a thing."

"Well, she said she'd get prepared at Sakura's house before leaving, maybe if you're quick…"

"Thank you, Yamanaka-san!" And the ninja was off, running again.

The middle-aged woman continued putting her bouquet together, smiling and humming. "Love is in the air…"

The Nara heir could feel his lungs burning as he didn't stop running across the village. His muscles were crying out for rest, but the familiar aching in his stomach was getting all his attention. It was the kind of ache that came when he thought of Ino, and he never wanted it to stop. He eventually made it to Sakura's house, and didn't bother knocking on the door, he swiftly jumped from branch to branch in the tree and, finally reaching the kunoichi's window, he started knocking like a madman. Sakura ran to the window and opened it quickly, looking confused.

"Shikamaru? What are you doing here?"

"Is Ino in there? I've got to talk to her." He managed to say, out of breath.

"I'm sorry, she just left about 10 minutes ago. But what-…"

"Later!"

The strategist jumped off of the branch and started sprinting. Sakura didn't live far from the Konoha gate, so he made it there in less than two minutes. The doors were closed.

"Hey!" someone yelled from behind him.

Shikamaru turned around to see Kotetsu walking towards him.

"Oh, it's you Shikamaru! Long time no see!" the guard smiled.

"Did Ino pass here?"

"Oh, yeah, Inoichi left with her already, they're probably far away. Do you have permission to leave Konoha?"

"No, but I was hoping-…"

"Nah, unless you have a good reason and signed permission to leave, you stay put, Shika."

"I have a good reason, and for the permission-…"

"Aah, Shikamaru Nara…" Kotetsu put his hand on the other's shoulder and smirked. "A piece of ass, even as nice as Ino's, is hardly a good reason!"

Shikamaru didn't notice what he was doing until he saw his fist land in Kotetsu's nose, which made a very satisfying cracking sound. The guard flew a few meters and hit the guarding cabin with his back, making a lot of noise. The other guard, Izumo, who was alerted by the wreck, jumped out of the cabin, ready to face his opponent. He stopped his movement when he recognized the "enemy".

"Shikamaru?"

"What the hell is wrong with you, you bastard!" Kotetsu held his nose, trying to stop the bleeding.

"Don't ever disrespect Ino, you piece of shit!" Shikamaru almost snarled.

The two guards were astound and only watched the younger ninja with wide eyes. The said ninja turned around and walked slowly home, all excitement disappeared from his system.

It took him almost half an hour to get to his apartment. Shikamaru made it up the stairs slowly, with his head low. He opened the door and dropped his backpack he forgot he was carrying somewhere near the door. All he wanted was to get some sleep. Yes, sleep for a very, very long time and not wake up for weeks, years maybe. As the shadow-caster entered his room, he was almost surprised to see Temari sitting on the bed, fully dressed. She had a small bag with her things next to her.

"You're leaving somewhere?" Shikamaru asked a little worried.

"Yes, I'm going back to Suna. Everything seems to be going just fine for the exam, you no longer need my services here, plus I'm a little homesick. The Hokage already gave me her consent."

"Are you leaving alone, by yourself?"

"Would you come with me to Suna?"

The strategist lowered his eyes, and then shook his head once.

"I thought so." Temari smiled gently. "I've been thinking a lot about us, Shikamaru. It's clearly not working, you're too concerned about your friends and I'm too selfish."

"I'm sorry, Temari."

"Don't be. We're two in a relationship, it takes two to make it work, and it took two to fail, also."

The sand woman approached the young man and placed one hand on the back of his neck and gave him a light kiss on the cheek.

"Goodbye, Shikamaru."

He didn't answer, not knowing the right words for a brake-up. The strategist just stood there, in her embrace, then she left, leaving him behind. Empty.

Shikamaru kicked harshly the table in his bedroom then sat down on his bed, grabbing his head in his hands. Temari just left him, and he missed Ino.

The next day, the Nara woke up in the same clothes he wore the day before. He fell asleep a little after Temari left, and blacked out almost a whole day and one night. The young man got up and threw off his clothes and headed to the bathroom. The hot water pearled down his body. He didn't move for a while, just standing there in the shower, closing his eyes. Shikamaru imagined Ino standing in front of him, the hot water on his skin replaced by her soft, warm hands. Her small hands traced the lines of his torso, brushed along his biceps, tangled in his half long hair… The young man smashed one fist on the wall, coming back to reality. He was truly going insane.

Shikamaru came out of the shower and spent the rest of his day eating junk food and playing video games. The hours seemed to pass so slowly by, that by the afternoon he had emptied the fridge and won every game he and Choji had. He sighed, thinking of what he could do, and finally decided to go for a walk in Konoha.

The lively streets of Konoha were starting the night life. Bars opened, restaurants were full. Shikamaru seemed so out of place between all the happy people enjoying their night out. He walked calmly, slaloming through the streets of Konoha. He wasn't looking at anyone, just following his feet.

Suddenly, someone smashed into him. By the time the shadow-caster looked up, the other was already shouting at him.

"Watch where you're going you little…" Inoichi's face was red. He then recognized the boy in front of him and calmed down.

"Oh, It's you Shikamaru, I'm sorry I was-…"

"Don't worry about it, Yamanaka-senpai. You're back from your mission?"

"Hum? Oh yes, the mission…" Inoichi's eyes went blank and his expression became somewhat sad. "Yes, we're back, Ino's home."

"What's wrong, Yamanaka-senpai?" Shikamaru's eyes went wide with concern.

"Ino did very well on the mission. She actually read a man's mind for the first time, only the man in question was one of Konoha's most dangerous ninja gone rogue. I don't know precisely what she saw, but she's… Well, she's shocked, I guess. Oh, it's my fault, I never should've let her come…"

"Don't worry, it's not your fault! Ino's strong, she'll get over it! Can I, er, go visit her?.."

"Yes, yes of course, I think it will do her good to see a friendly face. I'm not coming with you because I have to talk to the Hokage. But you go ahead, Shikamaru…"

Shikamaru tapped the older man on the shoulder then went running again. He reached the Yamanaka house quickly. It was already night and the lights were out in the house. The young man escaladed the house façade and managed to slip through the half open window. The room was empty and dark. The shadow-caster saw light coming from under the bathroom door. He knocked but received no answer, so he opened the door. Ino was sitting in front of the toilet, throwing up. Shikamaru rushed over to her and gathered her loose hair in his hands, getting it out of her face. After a while, she was finished and he helped her up.

"No, I want to brush my teeth…" the blonde weakly spoke as he was directing her towards the room.

The young man held her by the waist in front of the sink. Ino sloppily however quickly brushed her teeth, then placed her toothbrush back to its place. She tried walking by herself but lost her balance and Shikamaru caught her just in time. He put her arms around his neck and passed one of his arms under her knees and lifted her swiftly up. He carried the sick woman to the bed and placed her on it ever so gently. Ino had her eyes closed by the time they made it to the bed. Shikamaru lightly brushed his hand through her forehead. She grabbed his rough hand with her small one and without opening her eyes, she spoke weakly:

"Please don't go… Stay…"

"I'm not going anywhere." The young man whispered.

Shikamaru climbed on the bed behind Ino and nested his cheek in the crook of her neck, his lips touching her shoulder. He put one arm protectively around her and closed his eyes, taking in her scent he had missed so much. Ino's back was arched in harmony with the young man's chest. The strategist couldn't help but think that their bodies matched so perfectly, their every curve compatible. The young woman started sobbing softly, very silently. Shikamaru only tightened his embrace on her and kissed lightly the top of her shoulder. He didn't know how long they were like this, he wished that it would never end. The shadow-caster sighed, thinking that this seemed so right when everything was going completely wrong.

"I saw things…" Ino whispered. "Horrible things, that man…"

"Shush, don't think about it." the other soothed her forearm with his rough but warm hand.

"I can't. It haunts me. The things he has done, those women, those children…"

Her voice broke off but she held in the sob pressing in her throat and squeezed her eyes shut.

"I'm here, Ino. It's just you and me." Shikamaru spoke in her neck. "Just you and me, nothing else. Listen to my breathing, and leave out the rest."

Ino sighed as he pressed her back even more against his chest. After a few moments, they were breathing in synchronization and the kunoichi was able to calm down and she fell asleep.

"I love you." Ino whispered half asleep.

Shikamaru felt his heart stop for a moment and then start beating faster, it almost worried him. Almost. In that precise moment, he was sure he was happy, for the first time. The young man closed his eyes too, smiling. He had what he wanted in his arms and was sure he'll meet her in his dreams too.

Ino's POV:

The kunoichi woke slowly up, not wanting to open her eyes for another five minutes. She felt oddly warm even though the sheets didn't cover her. She turned around then noticed the arm around her waist.

Ino looked at Shikamaru who was sound asleep. The young man seemed so peaceful, his breathing was slow and soothing. A strand of his hair was falling in front of his left eye. The blonde reached at the top of the other's head and took out the band attaching strictly his hair in a pineapple form. Dark locks of hair fell all around his unmoving face. Ino giggled and passed lightly one of her hands across the now free hair. The other groaned slightly then opened his eyes slowly.

"Hey." Ino smiled tenderly.

"Hey." Shikamaru also grinned.

"Aren't you supposed to be with your evil girlfriend?"

"Nope, my not-so-evil girlfriend went back to Suna, leaving me free and unprotected, can you imagine?"

"Aw, I'll protect you, little Shika!"

The blonde kissed the other on the forehead, still smiling. Shikamaru chuckled and pushed Ino on her back and kissed her red cheeks. The girl was giggling while he was trailing down to her neck with soft kisses. He brushed across her collarbone with his lips, then down her torso and stopped on her slightly revealed hip and kissed her there too.

"Shikamaru! What are you doing!" Ino laughed while he teased her, tickling her hip.

"I'm making sure you're real!" Shikamaru smiled, continuing down on her bared legs, caressing the softness of her thigh.

The young man continued to trail little butterfly kisses down her knee unto her ankle. She pulled him back up and kissed him on the lips. He broke off the kiss and looked her lovingly in the eyes.

"You're real, alright!" the strategist chuckled.

"Glad to hear it! Now, continue what you started!"

Shikamaru obeyed and kissed her passionately once again, using one hand to hold himself up, and the other one to play with blonde locks.

"I love you" he whispered and Ino could feel herself burning up. "You're the only real thing."

"I know, I am the best!" she tried to sound arrogant but laughed as she was cut off by Shikamaru tickling her.

Yep, sorry to say, but Ino and Shikamaru are just meant to be together! I didn't want to make a cheesy ending, so I went for something cute, hope that works for you guys! ;) I would like to thank each and every one of you, who read the story until the end; even if you didn't appreciate it, at least you gave it a shot, which I am thankful for! I, for one, have learned a lot and got even more attached to my favourite characters from Naruto.

Thank you a hundred times, and if you've got the time or are in the mood, please do review one last time the story, I would very much like to see your final opinions :)

Lots & lots of kisses 3 ,

DarkDream93