Happy Birthday Shikamaru and Ino!

Fourth Wish (Pt. 2)

"So…I'll be back in a few hours alright?"

Shikamaru took the time to button up the cuffs of his dress shirt before putting on his dark green blazer. Ino nodded in understanding and stood by the entrance of the apartment to see him off. The shirker smoothed out the creases on his pants and momentarily checked his reflection in the mirror Ino had poofed up for him. The magical being inspected his attire and reached out to brush the lint off his shoulder.

"You look splendid master! I'm sure your date will swoon at the sight of you!" she grinned cheekily.

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes from inside the reflection before turning around to match her gaze.

"It's not a date. And don't you 'master' me, I know what you're up to blondie" he retorted knowingly. The genie only gave him a dazzling smile in return.

Shikamaru frowned and placed his hand on the brass doorknob, giving it a small twist.

"I better not find you stalking me again or there WILL be consequences" he warned after jiggling the door open slightly. Ino feigned a look of shock.

"Stalker? Me?!" she scoffed and Shikamaru couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"I mean it Ino, no leaving this apartment got it?"

Ino raised her hand in mock salute and secretively rolled her eyes. "Aye, aye cap'n!"

Shikamaru gave her another suspicious look before giving her a small nod and closing the door after him. Ino waited until the sound of his footsteps had disappeared beyond the door before her smile twisted into a devious smirk. She turned around and placed her hand on her hip.

"Chouji! You ready yet? He's on the move!"

The door of the broom closet down the hallway slowly squeaked open, revealing the grinning face of Ino's ruin-Shikamaru's-day-by-plotting-evil-things accomplice. Chouji brushed off the dust on his pants and frowned.

"You really should clean once in awhile…" he commented distastefully. Ino rolled her eyes.

"Later! Now hurry up! We might lose him!"

Chouji held up his hands to slow her down.

"Relax! There's a tracking device on his cell so we'll know where he is" he said and flipped out his cell phone to prove his point. Ino could only stare at him with a mixture of amazement and confusion. Chouji held up his hands defensively before her look of amazement had the time to turn into a look of disgust.

"Don't look at me like that! I just had these installed on our phones so it was easier to find one another in case of emergencies…" he added uncomfortably. Clearing his throat Chouji opened the door and stepped out, muttering something about picking up the pace.

The genie gave him a skeptical look before following him out the door. She needed to catch up to Shikamaru before he got too far. If she was too far away from him she'd end up poofing back at the apartment…

Leaning against the railing Ino scanned the area outside to see if she could spot her lazy master from above. A smile crossed her features after seeing his usual pineapple style make its way down the busy street. She pointed a finger at his retreating back.

"There he is Chouji!" Ino declared before rushing down the stairwell, not even giving her accomplice time to chase after her.

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Shikamaru stepped inside the dimly lit café and surveyed the tables to see if his guests had arrived.

Spotting a head of azure hair at the corner of the room he made his way over to the small table calmly.

"Yo" he greeted casually before taking a seat across from the girl.

Hinata looked up from her menu and gave him a smile. "Shikamaru-kun!"

The Nara heir sighed.

"How many times do I have to tell you to drop the suffix?" he pointed out with mild annoyance, taking the menu from the waitress who had just arrived.

"You make me feel like I'm a little kid or something…"

Hinata smiled. "Is it not the truth?" Shikamaru rolled his eyes before giving the waitress his order. Hinata folded her arms across the table and leaned forward as they waited for their orders.

"I don't understand why you called me out here. I could've just stopped by your house…" Hinata explained.

An image of Ino's devious smirking face came to the boy's mind. Shikamaru cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Uh. Well…it's really…messy there. I didn't think we'd be able to get anything done" he lied through his teeth. Hinata pursed her lips cutely before shaking her head with a laugh.

"Alright then, So…did you have any ideas for the presentation?"

Shikamaru smirked. A part of him glowing with pride.

"I always do. This'll be an easy grade trust me. I can't believe they're making us work in groups…I feel like I'm in high school all over again" he commented with mock disgust.

Hinata laughed and played with her straw in between her fingers.

"Yeah. But it's good practice. After all, we have to do presentations in the business world"

Shikamaru nodded and pulled out the manila folder he had brought along. He unclipped the folder and divided the papers into three neat piles.

"So I've already outlined most of the issues we'll cover for the presentation. All we need to do is--"

"Oi! I can't believe you started discussing the project without me!"

Both heads to turned at the same time and Hinata's eyes brightened.

"Temari-san!"

Temari smiled and made her way over to the two.

"Good afternoon Hime" she greeted with a smirk. She pushed Shikamaru aside and made room for herself. The blonde finally turned to him, giving Shikamaru a small nod, "Nara" she greeted monotonously. Shikamaru rolled his eyes, shifting his body to provide more room for himself.

Temari picked up the papers and skimmed them briefly. She whistled at the amount of effort Shikamaru had actually put into it.

"How unusual of you to get things done beforehand deer boy" Temari commented as her eyes roamed the many paragraphs in amazement.

Shikamaru felt the need to roll his eyes again. That was as close to a compliment he would get out of Temari. He propped his elbow on the counter and leant his cheek on the base of his palm.

"Yeah? Well don't get used to it" he retorted dryly. The blonde gave him a side glance before smiling behind the papers.

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"You're frowning again"

"No I'm not"

"Yes you are"

"I'm really not"

"Yes. You are"

Ino slammed her menu down on the table.

The two partners in crime were currently seated outside the small patio of the café Shikamaru was in. Ino looked away from her master's table beyond the glass window and narrowed her eyes at Chouji.

"I am not frowning!" she hissed quietly. Chouji gave her a blank look of disbelief but decided not to press the matter further.

Throwing Chouji one last glare Ino quietly hid her face from his line of vision by retreating behind her menu again. The genie's frown widened and she knitted her brows in annoyance.

What the hell..? Why am I so irritated?

Ino sneaked a peek at Shikamaru's table again and felt her annoyance rise. Sighing in irritation she reluctantly brought her eyes back to the menu and scanned it for something that would cheer her up. After all, the cause of this irritation was probably just her hunger. It was totally not because of the fact that her master was meeting up with the girl he loved and another girl who loved him.

Yup.

Totally not because of that.

Ino growled and tightened her grip on the menu impulsively. Chouji raised an inquisitive brow but ignored her angry expression nevertheless.

Instead, he tapped his fingers along the table rhythmically.

"So Ino...why are we stalking Shikamaru again?"

Ino immediately lowered her menu and narrowed her eyes.

"We are not stalking Shikamaru! We're just following him!" she snapped rudely.

It took Chouji all he had to not point out that they were basically the same thing. He knew better then to provoke her furthur...

Ino lowered her gaze towards her feet and closed her eyes in an effort to calm her nerves. She wasn't here to satisfy herself.

"I'm just here in case he has any wishes…" she muttered under her breath truthfully. Chouji looked up from his menu.

"Hm?"

"Nothing!"

Ino shook her head and snapped her fingers at the waiter standing a few yards away. "Hey! Can I have some tea over here?"

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"So Nara…I hear you've got a girl" Temari suddenly brought up, taking a sip of her cola. Shikamaru flinched, not missing the unpleased tone in her voice.

"What? Who told you that?" he asked apathetically but found his answer once Hinata choked on her glass of water.

Temari raised a questioning brow.

"What? So it's true then?"

Shikamaru immediately frowned.

"Of course it's not, she's just a family friend" he retorted casually. For a moment he directed his eyes at Hinata accusingly.

Temari threw the boy a look of disbelief. Shikamaru groaned and massaged his temples.

"I'm telling you the truth Temari. Does it even look like I have time to deal with women right now?" he countered easily. When the blonde remained unconvinced he began to rub the back of his neck in frustration.

"Besides…" Shikamaru started quietly, having remembered a conversation with his genie earlier this week.

"How many wishes do I have left?"

"Two left!"

Shikamaru inwardly sighed. Despite Ino's happy-go-lucky answer he knew better then to believe her sugar-coated words. He knew loneliness when he saw it. And it annoyed him to no end knowing that Ino was lying to him for his sake. What happened to the rude and blunt genie he had met two weeks ago?

"Shikamaru-kun?"

Hinata's voice snapped Shikamaru out of his stupor. He cleared his throat, pushing back the thoughts in his mind.

"...Ino's going to leave soon…she's just…here on vacation" he finished slowly.

Noticing Temari's suspicious stare Shikamaru sighed and waved his hand dismissively.

"Don't worry about it. She and I are just friends. Trust me" he reassured flatly before Temari could get any ideas into her head. He knew how…possessive Temari could get.

Even to things that weren't technically hers.

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"..."

"Don't give me that look of pity" Ino snapped as she and Chouji stealthily exited the café after picking up their cakes by the display window near the register. To their good fortune the register stood in a different room then where Shikamaru's table was located.

Ino turned the corner of the café and flopped down in her seat with more force than necessary. She picked up her fork.

"What he said was right. We're not dating so you can save the pity for someone who needs it" Ino scoffed in annoyance. She looked away from her new friend and failed to notice the way she kept repeatedly stabbing her fork into her chocolate marble cake.

Chouji took a bite out of his cake.

"Yeah, but you—"

"And I don't wish we were dating either" the blonde snapped after easily reading his thoughts.

Chouji closed his mouth in shock. It was like she had read his mind or something!

Ino quietly stabbed at a piece of her now demolished cake and stuffed it into her mouth despite her already spoiled appetite. Her eyes flickered to the group of three inside the cafe.

She forcefully turned her gaze away with a frown.

Stupid Shikamaru…pisses me off…

Ino finally sighed and released the death grip on her fork. She wordlessly pushed her plate forward.

"Chouji…I'm going to abort today's mission. I'll talk to you later" she announced flatly and stood from her seat, making the chair scrape across the stone floor noisily. Chouji looked up from his cake and set his own fork down. He gave her a look of confusion.

"Uh, okay. I'll walk you back then" he offered politely.

Ino gave him a reassuring smile.

"No thanks. I can make it on my own..." Her eyes flickered to the cafe window and she looked away once again.

"I'm sorry for wasting your time" she laughed quietly.

With a small nod Ino turned to leave but stopped once she felt a massive wave of pain hit the back of her head. She stumbled from the sudden impact and placed her hand on the table. Her hand flew out to rest on her head to stop it from spinning.

Chouji stepped closer to Ino with a look of worry.

"You okay Ino?"

Ino nodded despite the pounding in her head. She gripped the tabletop harder, leaning her weight onto it for support. Chouji rested an uneasy hand on her shoulder. His eyes filled with worry.

"I think you should sit back down and rest for awhile Ino" He suggested when the blonde began panting from the pain. Ino winced and tried her best to fight off the loud ringing in her ears. She shook her head at Chouji and gently shrugged out of his reach.

"I'm fine" she managed to gasp and weakly waved her hand at him when he tried to stop her again.

"It's just…a little--" The genie forced through gritted teeth while trying to maintain her balance. She forced her body to stand on it's own and a small smile graced her lips.

"See? I'm totally fi--"

Chouji's hazel eyes flashed in alarm when Ino unexpectedly collapsed on the floor. He immediately jumped to her side in a panic.

"Oh shit! Ino!"

Chouji gently turned her over so he could see her face.

"Ino! Are you alright?!"

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Temari looked up at the sound of loud chatter to see a small crowd gathering outside the patio of the café. She focused her eyes outside until a familiar face caught her eye.

"Hey, isn't that Chouji?" she pointed out, bringing Hinata and Shikamaru out of their conversation.

Shikamaru followed the blonde's gaze to see Chouji's back facing him. As the manager of the shop opened the café door to see what was going on Shikamaru heard Chouji's distinct voice filter the quiet shop.

"Ino! What's wrong?! Somebody call an ambulance!"

Before the two girls could even process the plea for help, Shikamaru had already leapt out of his seat, using the table as a step to get passed Temari. Hinata and Temari traded looks before clumsily getting out of their seats to follow Shikamaru.

Pushing the door open with a slam Shikamaru quickly pushed his way through the crowd. He was startled to find the unconcious blonde in his friend's arms. He quickly knelt down beside Ino's unconcious body.

"Chouji, what happened?!"

Chouji didn't even think about the fact that he and Ino had just blown their covers and instead threw his best friend a look of worry.

"I-I'm not sure. She started acting weird and then she suddenly fainted" he summarized quickly. Chouji shifted Ino in his arms and looked around. "Has anyone phoned the ambulance yet?!" he cried towards the crowd of people.

"Don't worry. They're on their way" a customer replied as he flipped his cell phone shut. Chouji gave a nod of thanks.

Shikamaru frowned when Ino's face twisted in pain and he moved closer to her.

"Chouji, let me take her to the hospital, it's faster that way. There's too much traffic in this area and it usually takes them forever to arrive" he suggested as he moved to gather Ino's limp body in his arms. Chouji made a move to protest but obliged once he saw the look on Shikamaru's face.

By this time Hinata and Temari had already made their way towards the front of the crowd. Hinata's eyes widened in shock once she saw the familiar blonde in Shikamaru's arms.

"Ino-san!" she cried.

Shikamaru stood and hastily pushed passed the girls, ignoring them both completely.

Temari's eyes followed him as he maneuvered through the crowd.

"Hey! Shikamaru!" she shouted after the boy after recovering from surprise. The blonde frowned and placed her hands on her hips when she recieved no response. She heard the distant cry of sirens not too far away.

"What's his problem? We could've just waited for the ambulance to arrive!" she stated harshly, a bit angry at him for pushing her out of the way. Hinata and Chouji remained silent and watched as Shikamaru turned the corner of a building.

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Shikamaru spared Ino a glance as he hurried towards the hospital. He pressed his eyebrows together in worry.

Her face is getting paler and her breathing is slowing…this doesn't look good.

Growling in frustration Shikamaru impatiently waited for the cars to stop so he could cross the street. When the sign blinked green he darted across the street, doing his best to avoid running into the civlians.

"Stop right there!"

Before Shikamaru could process what had just happened, he felt Ino's body disappear from his arms and he jerked his head around only to have it done in by someone's right hook. The impact stripped Shikamaru of his balance and he crashed against the sidewalk with a cry of pain. It took him a moment to regain his senses and when he did, he slowly raised his eyes towards the two figures that stood in front of him.

A girl with light pink hair stared him down coldly.

"That's what you get for hurting Ino" She declared angrily while her emerald orbs narrowed at the sight of him. The guy standing beside her shifted Ino in his arms and pushed his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose calmly.

Shikamaru could only hold his jaw and stare at them in absolute confusion.

Tbc...

SHE LIVES! :D

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