I went ahead and punched myself in the face on behalf of everyone waiting. Oh, and another story is in the works right now so look out for that! Enjoy!

Chapter 38
Clueless

The late summer breeze cooled Sakura's skin as she walked home from Naruto's apartment that night. It was long and tedious with all the paperwork he made her do, but they finished it before midnight. Sakura sighed and ran a hand through her hair, thinking about her no-brained boyfriend running this village someday and he didn't even know how to write his name at the top of the page. No, she should give him more credit. She just needed to keep the faith.

She would have to trust him and his antics if she wanted to stay with him. The other night, he talked about marriage which wasn't exactly what Sakura expected out of Naruto. Could Sakura stay with him for what's supposed to be a life commitment? In health and sickness, till death do they part? Naruto definitely came a long ways since the genin days and so much changed up to this point and to Sakura's satisfaction, they were moving along splendidly through life, but—seriously!—was she ready to spend the next arc of her life wedded to the soon-to-be Hokage? Did she want a family? There was so much to sacrifice if they decided to start a family—well; she'd give up a lot to bear children.

Sakura glanced up at her looming apartment which was still quite a ways away.

Was this nervousness in her gut the same thing Ino felt when she thought about surrendering her life as a shinobi to become a mother? No wonder Ino was always a nervous wreck when the subject came up. No wonder Ino was so hostile towards Shikamaru who offered to help her through the matter. No matter how much help was provided, Ino was still the one to give her life as a shinobi to become a mother. If only Sakura could be in Ino's shoes for a day to see what it was like, maybe she would understand Ino a bit more. One had to be pretty selfless to give up something they trained their whole life to cut it short and live under another's beck and call, but that was Sakura's opinion.

Faint panting coming towards Sakura caught her attention. The figure traveled under the street lights and by the spiky ponytail bouncing up and down behind his head as he ran, Sakura knew exactly who the mystery man was. As he approached her, he slowed his pace down and came to a stop, hands on his knees.

"Shikamaru, hi." He gave her a halfhearted wave as he caught his breath. "Why ya running?" she asked in a sing-song manner as she grinned at the struggling friend.

"I…was gonna talk to you tomorrow, but I…supposed now is a good time." He paused to straighten out. "I need your advice!"

"You were running to find me?"

"No, I was running cause I'm—anyway, it's about Ino. Should I have kissed her?"

"No." If Shikamaru couldn't feel Sakura's glares of disapproval at the dinner table, Sakura didn't know what would make him think wasting his first kiss with Ino because of peer pressure was a horrible idea.

Shikamaru waved her off. "Not at the restaurant," Shikamaru mumbled bashfully. "When I dropped her off, I…think I…you know…"

"You wanted to kiss her?" How juicy. Could Shikamaru have a crush on Ino? Sakura crossed her arms and cocked her hip. "Well, why didn't you?"

Shikamaru's cheeks turned a light pink—how cute. "I don't know. She doesn't even like me in that way."

"Ask her! I mean it shouldn't be that hard. How'd you and Temari become an item?"

"One time at the library, she just grabbed my—"

Sakura waved her hands in the air, cutting his story short. "Forget it!" Shikamaru just smirked at the reaction and crossed his arms, waiting for his advice. Sakura sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. "Just ask her, Shika—eh, did you leave her alone at the apartment?"

"Shit."

The shrill cries rumbled her eardrums like a boom of thunder erupting right outside house windows but the tremble of this awful noise didn't just vibrate through her bones and pain her ears; it hit a sore spot in her chest. It made her cringe in pain and her heart beat erratically, longing to care for the source of the sound.

Underneath the horrible screaming, she could hear faint coos and an evil chuckle. She knew whose laugh that belonged to. Her vision was blurry and the fuzzy figure dressed in black and red clad traveled further and further away the longer she stared.

"Hidan," she whispered.

Her body couldn't move. None of her limbs responded.

The crying ceased and it became eerily silent, a tension in the air that could almost choke someone. Despite his back turned to her, she pictured him beaming a devilish smile. The silver haired man glanced over his shoulder, proving her theory correct—he was grinning at her. However, Ino didn't care for that face; she cared for the bundle of pale skin and blonde hair he carried in his arms. Her daughter began to cry and struggled to escape the evil grasp but her cries were silent.

"Ino."

Ino ripped her eyes open to meet jade orbs hovering over her. It was only a nightmare. "When do you get home?" Ino asked, breathless.

"Just a few minutes ago." Sakura leaned back on her bed and sighed in what seemed to be relief. Sakura smiled and placed a hand on her calf, squeezing gently. "Shikamaru left you here like an idiot. I got worried," she explained through tight lips.

Shikamaru. Ino looked out the window and wondered what he was up to at this time. When the blonde returned her eyes to Sakura, she immediately looked away from the sudden smug look of I-Know-Something-You-Don't on her best friend's face. "I think he might like you."

Ino snorted as if it was unbelievable and totally not Shikamaru-like but she couldn't ignore that her heart fluttered into her throat at those words. Did she have feelings for the Nara kid? Ino took a second to reflect deep down and decided that no, she didn't. These feelings were too sudden for her to actually like him.

A gentle knock came from the window. Ino jumped. Who would come knocking on people's windows at this hour? Sakura whipped out a kunai from her thigh holster and crept towards the window, peering outside to see a white ANBU mask pressed against the window. Both girls squeaked and Sakura jumped back. Ino held her breath as the mask began to turn to her and a pale, human hand waved. Ino never noticed how creepy those masks were, especially when it was just the mask floating around with a black background. Sakura inhaled and slid the window open, quickly placing the kunai to the ANBU's throat.

"What do you want?"

The masked man raised his hands up in a signal of peace. Sakura kept her weapon steady. He sighed, shoulders dropping in defeat or in annoyance—Ino couldn't tell. "Tsunade is calling for Ino. It's an emergency and I'm to escort you two to her office." He sighed when Sakura raised a brow in disbelief. "Look, I've been watching the place for some time now. I'm not some undercover spy for Hidan, okay? Oh, here." The man reached into his back pocket and presented a short note from the Hokage, which told him to grab the two for an urgent meeting in her office.

"Forgery."

"Damn, Sakura," the man hissed. "You're making me go against policy, stupid." He pulled up his mask to reveal a quite irritated soft, a hard pressed line for lips and soft, chocolate eyes. "Trust me now?"

"Genma, I didn't know you are—"

"I was voluntold. Meet me downstairs."

Genma lounged in the lobby when they arrived. Sakura sported her work clothes and Ino, well, had her silk, purple jammies on. Genma wore the standard shinobi gear, navy sweats and matching long sleeved shirt. Ino noticed his eyes drooping as he sat on the edge of the couch with arms crossed and his senbon nearly falling out of the corner of his mouth.

"Genma." Sakura kicked the leg of the couch. Sakura quickly glanced over her shoulder to look at Ino with a quick smile. "Hey, wake up."

"Sorry," he mumbled, jolting awake. He yawned and tiredly pointed towards the exit. "Lead the way."

The two women lead the pack while Genma covered them from behind. Ino could feel the tension rolling off Sakura and Genma, whom were on high alert and using a great deal of chakra to make sure the next hundred paces were safe and that no one followed them. They stopped whenever the trees or bushes rustled and at one point, Genma leaped into the bushes only to find a young couple…cuddling.

Konoha felt different at night but then again, what place didn't? The wind rustled through the trees' branches and whistled between alleyways and cracked open windows. It made her skin crawl. Ino could hear owls, the piercing sound of bats using their echolocation, and the pebbles tumbling across the sidewalks as the trio walked in silence down a dark path.

Sakura broke the silence, making Ino freeze. "Have you heard anything on this situation?" Sakura asked, glancing at Genma. Ino followed suit.

Genma nodded. "Tsunade will fill you in once we arrive."

The walk tortured Ino's already swollen feet but did she want to stop and rest, maybe massage her aching soles? Hell no! One, she wanted to keep Genma and Sakura's nerves clear of stepping into the deep end and two, sitting in the dark while knowing an S-ranked criminal wanted to kill her didn't appeal to Ino as much as it would to others in her situation…if there were any. Just the thought of Hidan made her stomach—or, her daughter—churned uncomfortable, like she ate something rotten or drank too much water. The fact that him being somewhere in or close to the village sickened Ino so much she wanted to fall to her knees and cry, give in to him.

Sakura quickly rapped her knuckles on the Hokage's door and waited for Tsunade to summon them.

"Come in!" she hollered from beyond the double doors. Sakura pulled the doors in and Ino noted how crowded her office was.

The first person she noticed were curly-Q, blonde curls and warming emerald orbs staring at her. She had a cute button nose and freckles sprinkled along the bridge. Next to her was a familiar old face with a bark colored mustache and worried eyes and next to the man was a younger on with coal hair and matching eyes. His calm face turned sour when the three walked in. As the trio stood at attention in the center of the room, Ino could feel his harsh glare digging into her cheek.

"These three survived the fire in Kumo."

What?

Ino stepped forward and reached out to place a hand on the woman's shoulder, but she stepped away, grimacing. Ino drew her hand back. Ino's eyes never left Minako's face. Her green eyes glanced up at Ino but quietly averted back to her feet.

Tsunade spoke from behind the three that leaned against the front of her desk. "We're offering them protection and upped the security around the village. With these three and Ino here, Hidan has to be on the move." Genma groaned in response to the news. Tsunade pushed Jin and Konan apart and shot a glare at the man. "I don't know about you, Genma, but I don't want an S-ranked criminal anywhere near this village," she snapped. "You can go back to desk duty if you're really opposed to the idea."

Genma shook his head. "I'm at your service, ma'am." He bowed slightly.

Tsunade smirked before turning her attention to Ino and Sakura. "They're lodged at the inn across the street. Sakura, you are responsible for these three."

"But, Lady Tsunade, who will—"

"Shikamaru is on Ino duty. He's been notified via bird. He starts tomorrow."

"What is he doing now?" Ino asked.

"I believe he's patrolling with Kakashi."

Ino's breath hitched. The thought of Shikamaru finding Hidan was frightening. Could Shikamaru really stand a chance against a member of the Akatsuki? If Ino wasn't pregnant and useless, she'd be out there with him to make sure he was safe. Then again, if Ino wasn't pregnant, none of this would happen.

"With all due respect, I don't think Shikamaru should be patrolling the city," Ino piped. "What if something happens to him? He is supposed to be watching…me." The words burned in Ino's mouth—she wasn't a baby and definitely didn't need a baby sitter.

"I supposed you make a good argument. I'll message him quickly to switch with…Genma." Another groan. "He will be assigned to you until you are strong enough to hold on you own."

Ino bowed. "Thank you." From the corner of her eye, she noticed Minako staring at her with an indifferent look. "Also, I can show these three around town and Shikamaru will come with me as well." Ino peeked over at Minako to see any sort of reaction from the usual rambunctious woman, but the look-a-like Ino didn't budge.

"Very well," Tsunade sighed and slouched her in chair. "You need to stay healthy, Ino. The baby is due in a couple weeks." Ino tried to ignore the last comment. "Get your rest everyone. Genma, show these three to their room, please. Oh, and then switch with Shikamaru at the fifth Eastern post."

"C'mon," Sakura whispered, nudging Ino in the arm.

"Thank you, Ino," someone whispered as the friends turned and began to exit the room.

Shikamaru leaned against their door as Sakura and Ino approached their humble abode. Ino steps faltered at the sight of the young man sitting on the floor with his head tilted up, eyes closed. What was he doing here?

"Shikamaru?" Sakura whispered.

The young man's eyes flew open and turned to them. With a smile, he stood up and brushed off his pants. "Hey," he yawned. "Someone said that a certain, pregnant someone didn't like the idea of me being out there?" He grinned at Ino who did her best to hide behind Ino, but that was a bit hard to do when she was about three times wider than Sakura at the moment.

"You heard about everything?"

"Yeah."

"Things are about to get very interesting…." Sakura trailed. She unlocked the door and pushed the door open with caution. She paused at the door, eyes scanning along the darkness. Ino noticed Shikamaru stiffen and purse his lips.

Shikamaru grabbed Ino's hand and pulled her close to his side. "Someone was here," he whispered in his ear.

"He's gone."

Sakura flipped the light switch. Nothing went touched but why did fear cripple Ino into a frozen statue, unable to even blink an eye or twitch a finger? Sweat dripped down her forehead like condensation dripping down a window.

Shikamaru gave her a soft pull by the hand and lead Ino to her bedroom. "You should probably get some rest."

"You should, too. I know you haven't slept for a while now."

"Don't worry about me," he mumbled.

"About earlier…"

Shikamaru flipped the light switch on. "Just forget about…it."

She stepped into a world of horror and her impending doom. Her room was cluttered with splintered wood from her bed and dresser; clothes discarded from the broken drawers and shredded bed sheets. Terror flooded Ino as her eyes zeroed in on a carving on the wall, "I found you". Shikamaru blocked her view just as Ino's breath hitched in her throat and her eyes began to water in absolute horror.

"C'mon," he mumbled, guiding her out the room.

Sakura clenched her fists and slammed them into the door frame, causing the whole apartment to shake. "Shit," Sakura uttered, analyzing the room. She then turned to the couple standing in the corner of the living room. "Shikamaru, get her out of here," she ordered. "I'll go report this. Take her to your place for the night."

Sakura's voice felt distant in Ino's ears. They echoed in her head. "Sakura," Ino mumbled, finally understanding her words. She took a step away from Shikamaru's touch. He stared at her, almost hurt from her action but Ino ignored it no matter how much her gut wrenched at the sight of her friend's expression. "What if he's Hidan?" Ino asked, beckoning her head towards Shikamaru, or what looked like Shikamaru.

Her best friend's jades jumped from Ino's panicked eyes to Shikamaru who gaped at Ino. Ino kept her eyes away from him. "That could explain why you were waiting outside when we got here."

"No!" Shikarmaru waved his hands in front of him in defense. He backed up until his back hit the wall. "You seriously think that I—I…no!" Taking a deep breath, he placed his hands at his sides and looked Sakura in the eye. "Tsunade sent a message saying that I was needed here, so I sprinted over. You know for a fact that you would see through a stupid technique like that, Sakura."

"Then you won't mind this." Sakura placed a hand on his shoulder, almost rudely shoving him back into the wall. "Kai."

Nothing happened.

With a sigh of relief, Sakura stepped away and turned her attention back to the destroyed room. She walked over and slammed the door shut, rattling the furniture in the den. Ino heard stomping—the upstairs neighbors must not enjoy all the rattling going on.

"Take her to your house, Shikamaru. Stay with her."

Shikamaru kept his distance as they walked to his house. His arms crossed around his chest and Ino could hear him mumbling under his breath. He was seriously offended.

Ino rolled her eyes. "Look, I'm sorry that I accused you of being Hidan. It was just a thought." Ino shuddered at the thought of her prediction being right. "Someone like him would do something like that. You should be proud of me for coming up with that idea."

Way back in the depths of Ino's mind, her consciousness held suspicion that Hidan really did disguise himself as Shikamaru. Ino wouldn't be able to notice because her chakra currently tended to another task besides Ino's safety and it wasn't willing to bend in the slightest. The idea made sense though. No one would worry if Shikamaru walked her around because of course he was the "father". However, once they were alone, Hidan could cancel the technique and kill her without much of a hassle.

"He can't be that stupid, though. Not when those three just arrived and Tsunade upped security within a matter of minutes. If you hadn't noticed, which you obviously didn't, there were two ANBU following you on the walk home so you'd have some extra protection. If you and Sakura didn't suspect anything of me, they sure as hell would see through it," he snapped. Ino grimaced.

"Well, ANBU could be henchmen in disguise."

Shikamaru sighed. "Why do I even bother arguing with you?" He sighed once more, rubbing the back of his neck. "At least you're safe for now," he said, his eyes in a different world but he quickly snapped out of it. "We need sleep," he quickly added.

"I refuse."

"Suit yourself. You'll regret it when you're sleep deprived and cranky."

All hints of suspicion vanished when he coolly closed the distance between them, laced his fingers with hers and gently squeezed. She could feel the quiet pulse between his fingers. It was fast and erratic but as time passed, the beat settled into a slow, rhythmic pulse.

His house was dark inside—as it should be at two in the morning. Shikamaru leaned in close and whispered, "Be quiet. My parents are sleeping and the last thing we need is a questioning."

"Gee, Shikamaru, almost twenty and you still live with your parents?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "It's not the time for joking and I also don't see why it's of your concern why I live with my parents still." Ino grinned.

After a painful minute of sliding open a rickety door, they tiptoed down the hall in the opposite direction of his parents' room. They passed a window where Ino could see the small creek in his backyard, the place where Ino told him the true story. Funny how the end of the story is approaching soon, too fast for Ino's comfort.

Shikamaru's room was the only room on this wing of the house. Ino spent many nights as a child in this wing, screaming and teasing Shikamaru who refused to play with her. In their rookie days, she spent an endless amount of nights and days in his room, talking about strategy and prepping for long journeys. How come this night couldn't be different than the rest?

"Sleep on my bed," Shikamaru whispered. He voice sounded distant. "I'll sleep on the floor," and the door closed behind her. Ino turned but he wasn't there.

Ino sat on the edge of the bed. The walls were bare—they were always bare, even when they were children. He had the game table with pieces scattered across the board in the center of the room. Asuma bought him that a few weeks into their first year as rookies. His room hasn't changed much.

"My dad is out," Shikamaru announced, making Ino jump. He had an armful of blankets and pillows. With a playful smile, he dumped everything on Ino. "Waking up my mom is just about as bad as waking up both so…still keep quiet."

"I'm telling her you said that," Ino teased and grabbed a blanket, folding it in half. "Let me make your bed. It's the most I can do…."

Shikamaru smirked. Ino felt the bed dip under his weight. Shikamaru leaned back on his hands, watching her fold the blanket in half to make a makeshift sleeping bag. They sat in silence. Ino could feel his eyes burying into his spine. She stood up and laid the blanket on the ground.

When the bed was finished, she turned to Shikamaru with a grin only to see a sheet float above her. It rested on the top of her head and draped around her shoulders. "What are you doing?" Shikamaru only smiled with the ends of the sheets balled into his fists. He pulled on them, causing the blonde to take a step forward. All she could see was his face, his eyes that held an emotion that she couldn't describe and it made butterflies flutter. She tried looking away but the sheet didn't allow her.

"Earlier," Shikamaru uttered, eyes zig-zagging to every part of her face except for her eyes, "you asked about… I, well…" Shikamaru stepped closer to her. With her giant baby belly between them, he stepped as close as permitted. "I'm going to sound stupid but I just wanted to make up for what happened at dinner."

Ino raised a curious brow and joked, "Oh, you're talking about that horrible kiss?" Shikamaru wrinkled his nose in distaste.

A herd of different emotions Ino hadn't felt in ages collided with each other and rampaged through her brain in a confused rage. What happened at her door was because he wanted to make up for a dog kiss? Take back a horrible kiss with a…what was supposed to be a kiss but was actually fuel to a very confused fire?

Ino swallowed a nervous lump in her throat. "So why didn't you…you know, kiss me?"

Shikamaru bit his lip. "It wouldn't be fair to…me."

Kissing her wouldn't be fair to me he said. Did it cross his mind at all that it would be unfair to her as well? Women were sensitive creatures—especially the pregnant ones!

"I know it sounds selfish—"

"It kind of is."

"It would have brought up…feelings that I know you don't have for me," he said quickly. After a second, he chuckled. "I don't know if it was our 'relationship' that gave me these feelings but I just want to be with you, Ino." Blue eyes stared at brown, confused staring at confused. Where did this side of Shikamaru come from? Did he always possess this sensitive, emotional side to him? Ino was convinced he didn't have one.

Shikamaru cleared his throat and leaned forward. Their noses brushed and he pressed his forehead against hers. Ino closed her eyes. She listened to his breath which sounded shaky, nervous. She felt the fire burning across her skin and the anxiety flutter like hundreds of hummingbirds flew in her chest. She heard Shikamaru take a breath. The pressure on her forehead disappeared along with the gentle caress of his nose and the hot bursts tickling her skin. Ino dared to open her eyes. She was scared of the expression she would see on Shikamaru's face, some sort of pain, confusion, something. Did she have those feelings for him?

"Shikamaru," she whispered, forcing her eyes open.

She stared at his chest which still sported his forest green vest. Under the heavy fabric, she could see his mesh shirt and his collar bones. She could see his chest expand as he took a breath. Her blue orbs began to travel up to his neck. It was strained and the dull moonlight made his skin look paler. Just before she could see his face, a pull on the sheeted lurched Ino forward and a rush of heat encompassed her cheeks and in the same instant, she felt eager lips on hers. They were rough, coarse but his lips kissed her softly, as if he didn't want to hurt her. Without thinking, she stretched onto her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling the warm flush of his neck burning into her forearms. Shikamaru's lips stilled and a gush of cold air fanned across her lips, leaving her leaning forward in search of the warmth.

"I really don't understand anything anymore." Shikamaru held her at arm's length. His grip was tight on her shoulders—not like Ino cared; she just wanted to kiss him again.

"Neither do I and to be honest, I don't want to."