A/N: Thank you for all of the reviews everybody! Wow I am so glad that everyone likes this so far. I'm also happy that there are some people who appreciate the concept of how hard it is to be away from the one you love. I, myself, have been separated from my hubby for at least half of our dating/marriage. Our jobs keep us away from one another a lot, but we are doing it for our future. Life and love take sacrifices, but that doesn't mean that absence doesn't truly make the heart grow fonder and that you won't cherish every single moment that you spend together more than the last.

Ok well enough of me rambling. This next chapter is pretty graphic and involves a little bondage so if that isn't your thing then please avoid it.

Today on Love Conquers All: A day of camping and other outdoor 'adventures'…

Year 1 of 4, July 29th

"Ino, if you're just gonna pout then go get some firewood or something," Shikamaru grumbled, continuing to set out all of the supplies.

Ino continued pouting while purposefully trying to get in the way. She didn't want to be ignored. She expected the first thing Shikamaru would do upon arrival would be to make love to her. When her assumptions had been proven incorrect, she made a show about sulking – sticking out her lip cutely and following him around in an attempt to entice him.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes at her antics. He had been camping before and was fairly certain that Ino had not. He knew better than to go off and have fun before setting up camp. If Ino had it her way, they would be out frolicking in the woods until nightfall and would come back to set up camp by moonlight and Shikamaru didn't feel like dealing with that. Not to mention it was fun to watch her squirm; she had put him through that same torment for so many years; it was slightly satisfying to get back at her.

Ino stuck out her lip further, reaching out to grab at the back of Shikamaru's shirt like a lost child. He was being such a bully! He wasn't paying any attention to her and she was getting irritated.

"Shika!" she whined, watching as he shook his head with a light chuckle.

"Listen, Ino," he murmured lovingly before turning to kiss her forehead sweetly, "Help me set up the tent first and then we can have a little fun, alright?"

Ino nodded enthusiastically while moving to gather together several hollow metal rods. She began putting them together in random order, sliding in whatever fit to what and attempting to make it look like the frame of the tent, but failing miserably.

Shikamaru snickered at Ino's attempt at help. She really was trying, but she seemed to only be making things worse. She was wedging rods into one another and jamming them into the ground. Apparently she was feeling impatient and seemed to want to get the job over and done with.

Ino frowned tersely at her lover's laugh, resenting the smug grin on his face. He was teasing her at that point and she did not appreciate it! With a frustrated huff, she threw the rods to the ground and stomped off, clenching her fists together tightly at his outright laugh.

"Jerk!"

"Brat!"

"Ugh!" she shouted to the world and stormed out of the camp sight.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes at her antics and continued to set up the campsite. Maybe he could get something accomplished with her out of the way.

Ino grumbled to herself, making her way through the woods to some unknown destination. She didn't think for one instant that something bad could happen or that she could get lost. The air was still hot and humid, but the forest they were presiding in was shrouded and shaded by tall pine trees. It may have been her idea to go camping, but she really hadn't the first clue how to go about the process. She wasn't exactly nature girl, after all.

After several minutes of walking and surveying the area, she realized that everything in the woods looked the same no matter where you went. She also realized that after turning around several times she could not recall the way from which she had come. This was not a good thing…

Before she could get too concerned, she came upon the lake the camp grounds surrounded. At least she knew she was in the center of the area and from there it shouldn't have been too hard to find her way to the outer tree line.

The water looked so clean and fresh, it almost seemed like a crime not to enjoy it. With a content smile on her face, her previous spat with Shikamaru all but forgotten, she sat at the edge of the lake and began to soak her feet. The forest was so peaceful and tranquil. Ino found it amazing how being out in nature could have such a calming effect on one's soul, until she was shoved into the cold water of the lake.

With a dramatic inhale, she broke the surface and shouted angrily, "Shikamaru!" looking much like a drowned, ornery cat.

"That's what you get for wandering off and not helping me set up," he chastised, beginning to remove his clothing.

Her next words were stolen away, her eye wandering along the planes of bare skin with each piece of clothing he removed. She was certain if she weren't feeling as needy as she was that she would have continued to yell at him.

Shikamaru grinned at her wickedly, standing tall in his boxer briefs. He knew that her eyes were on him. He knew that she was fixated on his every move, so he made to tease her a little more. He placed his thumbs within the waistband of his undergarment and trailed them along the band in a teasing manner.

Ino glared at him heatedly. Two could play at that game. Without the slightest bit of hesitation, she wrenched her soaking wet dress above her head and tossed it onto dry land. Her eyes met Shikamaru's with the light of a challenge while she reached back to the clasp of her brassiere with a sultry smile on her face.

Shikamaru's mouth went dry and he completely forgot about teasing Ino once she removed her bra. Her full, pale breasts came into view, her nipples hardened, most likely due to the temperature of the water. His eyes took in her movements as she tossed her bra onto the shore and made a show about playing with her chest.

Ino moaned out softly while cupping herself and pinching lightly at her nipples. Her ploy was working perfectly and she grinned when Shikamaru shucked off his last article of clothing and jumped into the water after her.

"Shit, cold!" he swore loudly, shivering and shrinking away from the frigid temperature in more ways than one.

'Well, there goes my boner,' he thought irritably, glaring at Ino as she grinned wickedly at him and proceeded to swim away.

"Serves you right," she chastised halfheartedly.

"Don't be like that," Shikamaru grumbled, swimming after her, "We're supposed to be having fun."

"Oh, I'm having fun," she assured with a vindictive smirk, "watching your teeny-weeny winky shrink in the cold water has been the highlight of this trip."

Shikamaru glared at her heatedly. He would show her who was teeny-weeny.

"I don't know how that could possibly be topped," she continued to egg him on, even as he loomed nearer.

Before he could pounce on her, her eyes lit up with excitement, "Let's play Marco Polo!"

Shikamaru gave her a skeptical look, even as she swam closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her touch alone sent sparks through his body and were it not for the cold water he would be more than raring to go.

Ino smiled gently at his skeptical expression, kissing him sweetly on the lips, "You're it," she ginned, moving to spin him around and disorient him as best as she could.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes flippantly before closing them. He would play along, for now.

"Ok!" she cheered from somewhere behind him, "Count to ten!"

Shikamaru obeyed with little hesitation and listened as she took in a big gulp of air and dove underwater. This wouldn't be too hard. Ino wasn't exactly the most agile or fastest swimmer. Finishing his count, he listened for the slightest disturbance of water.

"Marco," he grumbled crossly.

"Polo," he heard her call out in a goofy, high-pitched voice.

She was far enough away that she would be able to move if he approached her too quickly. He treaded his way in the direction of her voice before calling out again.

"Marco."

"Polo," she answered in a deep tone this time, causing him to chuckle lightly at her silliness.

She was closer now and his toes grazed against the loose soil at the bottom of the lake. She was close to the shore. He took notice of a slight disturbance of the water and grumbled out to himself.

"Cheater," he muttered, "Fish out of water."

With that, he opened his eyes to witness Ino wiggling into her soaking wet dress and gathering his clothes together in her arms.

'Oh, fuck, no,' he thought with an apprehensive look.

She just grinned at him wickedly and proceeded to sprint in the direction she thought the campsite was in, leaving Shikamaru to clamber out of the lake and run after her in the buff. Her evil cackling travelled back to him even as he chased after the devious little blond.

Despite her lack of directional sense, she managed to make it back to the campsite. She didn't have much of a lead on her lover and was quickly snatched up when she attempted to lock herself in the car and gloat from inside. Ino squeaked indignantly when he hoisted her over his shoulder and smacked at her ass in a reprimanding manner.

"Ok," she heard him grumble and watched nervously as he gathered a few items together in his free hand, "It's time for your punishment."

"Punishment?" Ino parroted, feeling nervous and excited at the same time.

"Yup," his response was unhelpful.

"What are you gonna do?"

He neglected to answer her inquiry, instead, moving to the nearest tree around the campsite. He set her onto her feet and pressed her back into the rough bark of the trunk. The look in his eyes gave her no more answer than his voice did and Ino found herself gasping when he wrenched her wet dress off of her thin fame and tossed it behind him, leaving her bare, aside from her panties.

"Give me your wrists," he ordered, his voice slightly deeper.

Ino recognized the tone and followed his instruction, feeling a tingle coursing through her belly and leading down to her inner thighs. She watched with curious eyes as he revealed a thin rope to her. He bound her wrists together, flinging the excess over a sturdy limb of the tree a moment later. Ino gasped out softly, beginning to feel excited at the prospects of her lover's actions when he tugged at the end of the rope until her wrists were suspended in the air and she was forced to stand on her tip toes.

"Good," he practically purred with a pleased expression while fastening the rope and cutting off the extra with a switchblade, "Give me your left leg," he ordered and gave Ino a warning glare when she hesitated.

She lifted her thigh to his hip and shuddered when his hand stroked along the soft pale skin before he moved to doubled up the rope. He cut it in half, then proceeded to double up one of the halves before looping it around her thigh. He followed the same pattern with her wrists, tossing the extra over the tree limb and securing it before repeating the same action with her opposite leg. His final action was to press the flat end of the switchblade against each of her hips to cut off her panties cleanly.

Shikamaru stepped back to admire his handy work. Ino was now suspended completely from the tree's limbs, her legs spread wide and bent at the knee while her calves dangled limply in the air. Her folds were on display and already glistening wet with her anticipation.

Ino couldn't help but blush while Shikamaru surveyed his efforts. She was left completely bare and wide open to his eager gaze. Despite her utter embarrassment, she could feel her insides throbbing with need. Her breaths came in eager pants as Shikamaru grinned at her lecherously.

"The safe word is pineapple," he smirked, enjoying Ino's lewd expression.

"Safe word?" she breathed out, feeling more excited at that point than embarrassed.

"If anything starts to go numb, or I start to get too rough with you, I want you to say that word. I don't plan to go easy on you this time, Ino," he murmured quietly, his heated gaze tracing over her body leisurely.

He was fully erect and standing before her as if it were the most normal and natural thing in the world to him. It excited her to know that he was so comfortable with her. It empowered her to know that she had such an effect on his lower anatomy. Her insides clenched excitedly in an attempt to relieve some of her growing need.

With little more waiting, Shikamaru lifted his index and middle fingers to her lips, breathing out an order, "Suck."

Ino complied eagerly, her eyes fixated on his and watching for any minute change in his features or posture. His reaction to her was instantaneous. She could see his cock jump excitedly and feel his eyes burning into hers as he took a step forward. His free hand lifted to grip tightly at her breast and pinch at her nipple, eliciting a keening whimper and a shudder from her willing body.

Shikamaru could feel his self-control slipping away while Ino's tongue swirled around the sensitive pads of his fingers, moistening the digits in preparation for his next action. He pulled his fingers free, smirking at the pop that came from the suction of her lips. His presence was commanding and intoxicating while he brought his fingers down to her entrance slowly, teasingly.

Ino let out a startled shout when Shikamaru's fingers pressed into her quickly, pushing in as deeply as they could go before dragging them back out slowly and pressing his fingertips against her upper wall, against that spot that made her need to go. Her hips wiggled uselessly, attempting to urge him on, but he just followed his own random rhythm. He would press in deeply, pumping in and out just a fraction while his palm cupped over her clit, rubbing the sensitive bundle of nerves before withdrawing almost completely only to thrust back in again roughly. Each time he dragged out his fingers, they pressed up tightly to her front wall, sending eager, quivering trembles through her lower body and into her stomach. Ino moaned and writhed, her hands clutching desperately at the rope both holding her aloft and restraining her. It was becoming too much. Each short, rough thrust pressed against her cervix, his palm cupping her clit before dragging out against her upper wall. Each sensation was different from the last and her mind felt like it was coming undone under the onslaught of pleasure.

Shikamaru watched Ino with keen, intense eyes. Her body was like an instrument that only he knew how to play to get just the right sound. Pressing deep inside would encourage long low groans while pushing up against her upper wall would have her bordering on shrieked moans and shouts. Her clit was the one that he enjoyed touching the most. She would pant out quickly, the tempo of her breathing increasing as she neared her climax before her hips bucked wildly with her appreciative whimpering moans. She was beautiful, she sounded like an angel and she was all his…

Ino could feel herself nearing that edge and was on the verge of begging. He knew her body too well. He knew just what to do to get her to sing and wiggle eagerly. He was playing with her at that point, though. He was taking his time and dragging out her orgasm. His random pace seemed to last for hours and he didn't seem to be in any hurry for her to finish. Ino, on the other hand, was definitely in a hurry. She wanted this release more than she wanted to breathe.

"Oh!" she groaned out, his fingers pressing deep and palm cupping her clit again, "Please, please! Oh, my god! Shika-ah!"

Shikamaru just smirked, feeling her move her hips against his palm, practically begging for her release with her body alone. She was so anxious and eager. She was hardly even able to breathe as her breaths came out in eager, shallow pants. But she hadn't suffered quiet enough yet.

Ino practically screamed when he withdrew from her completely only to smack his cock roughly against her folds. Her hips surged forward in askance, more eager pleading words escaping from her lips. He ignored them, continuing to smack at her clit before prodding the tip of his cock at her entrance.

"Say you're sorry," he ordered, his voice deep and authoritative and utterly sexy.

"For what?!" she shouted back, her thoughts so scattered that she couldn't even remember what she was being punished for.

"Wrong answer," he growled, withdrawing the head of his cock only to thrust his fingers back into her again deeply, eliciting another long groan.

"Say you're sorry and I'll make you cum," he ordered again, his free hand coming around to rub over her clit while his fingers pressed in as deeply as they could go, causing a flutter to quake through her inner muscles.

"I'm sorry!" she whimpered, "I'm so, so sorry! Please, I need–AH!" she wasn't even able to finish; she quaked around his fingers while her hips pressed forward in a desperate attempt to make her orgasm last longer.

She wasn't even able to recover before she felt his cock shoved roughly into her body. She screamed out at the tightness, her current scrunched up position exasperating the tension.

"Fuck!" Shikamaru shouted, "This position makes you tighter," he praised, his hands coming around her hips to grip tightly at her ass, "Hold on, Ino," he warned, before beginning a quick, savage pace, thrusting so deeply into her that it almost bordered on painful, almost.

Ino couldn't keep from screaming. Shikamaru's cock was pressing so deeply into her that she swore she saw stars bursting every time she closed her eyes. Her back was grinding up against the bark of the tree, her long hair getting tangled in the rough texture of the trunk. She knew her spine was going to be rubbed raw and she would be picking out bark from her hair during the entire trip, but she didn't care. All she cared about was that he was groaning out her name, cursing like a sailor, telling her how tight she was and how he wanted her to scream for him. She willingly obliged, quickly reaching her next climax with shuddering jerks of her inner muscles and a raw heated scream.

"Fuck!" Shikamaru shouted, feeling her quivering around his cock.

He didn't want to finish yet, he wanted to keep going. He never wanted to be outside of her delicious body, but it was physically impossible for him to last much longer. Her tightness was practically strangling his cock and her quivering muscles were coaxing him further to the edge. All at once, he felt her inner muscles clamp down on him like a vice and he couldn't stop it. He finished inside of her with a few choice curses and a shuddering jerk of his hips.

Everything around them was still; the only sounds in the forest were that of their exhausted, panting breaths. Shikamaru pressed Ino's body further into the truck of the tree while he attempted to regain his composure. After several minutes, his breathing stilled and he withdrew himself from Ino's sprawled body.

"Wow," he muttered, his legs feeling slightly weak with the strength of his orgasm, "That was something."

"–apple…" Ino muttered, her body completely slack and hanging limply from the ropes that suspended her body.

"What?" he asked, a grin passing across his lips at her exhausted, disheveled state.

"Pineapple, pineapple, pineapple!" she shouted, wiggling her body uncomfortably.

Realization dawned on Shikamaru and he reached down for the abandoned switchblade, "Oh, sorry!" he apologized, cutting her wrists free and smiling happily when they came to loop around his head over his shoulders.

Ino's whole body slumped against him limply, her legs coming to wrap around his hips weakly once they were cut free.

Shikamaru chuckled as he carried her loose body over to the entrance of the tent. It was beginning to get dark out and he was glad that he had remained steadfast about setting up camp. He was sure that once Ino got a little bit of rest she would come to appreciate it as well.

A/N: I hope everyone enjoyed that and, unless you have the proper equipment, please don't try that at home. How did everyone like the safe word? I thought it was funny *snickers*. If you enjoyed the chapter then please leave a review!

Next time on Love Conquers All: Separation can make people do some pretty irrational things, like party and get drunk to drown your loneliness. That isn't a problem so long as you don't do it too much, and you can trust the company that you are with…