Author's Note: Oh my goodness! I wake up this morning to a few more reviews, and see that so many people are checking out my story! Thank you all so, so much! I didn't expect to get such kind reviews!

To answer I'm Not A Princess, yes I agree. Kishimoto has definitely been a troll in the recent chapters. I was also very upset over the death of Shikaku and Inoichi. However, in my story, both of them are alive and well, and I am planning on making them very important characters later on! Thanks for the question!

Thanks again for the kind notes, and I hope you enjoy the next chapter! More to come very soon!

Chapter 3- Arrival

"Good Morning! Welcome to the Yamanaka Flower Shop! Something I can help you find?" Ino asked cheerfully as a man dressed in a nice suit arrived at the shop. It was still early morning, but Ino had already helped quite a few customers. Seemed like everyone wanted to buy some fresh spring flowers today.

"Roses?" She asked, verifying the man's request. "Of course. We have a very large selection of roses. Did you have a specific color in mind?" Ino continued helping the man pick out just the right flower for his wife.

Meanwhile, in the back of the store, Shikamaru was once again lifting heavy boxes. Seemed like every time Ino needed his help at the store, he ended up doing some kind of manual labor. He lifted the box full of new gardening supplies and placed it on a high shelf of the storage shelf, wiping his brow once it was in place. That was the last box in the pile, so he headed to the front of the store for further instructions.

"I know she'll love them!" Ino cheered as she finished trimming and wrapping the man's selection. Once she was finished, she handed the flowers to him and helped him check out before sending him off. "Have a wonderful day!"

Shikamaru sat down on his usual chair, taking a long drink from his water bottle as Ino made her way over to him. "You really know how to work a man hard, Ino." Shikamaru grumbled, taking another sip from his bottle. "I would be helping you if we weren't so busy." She responded, leaning on the counter with a sigh. "How was I supposed to know everyone in Konoha would be wanting to buy flowers today?"

"Well, all the boxes are put away. I'll probably head off soon." Shikamaru said, watching some of the people as they passed by the shop. "You can leave whenever you want. Thanks for your help, Shikamaru." Ino sat up and stretched a little. "Can you watch the front of the store for a minute while I hit the ladies room though?" She asked, not even waiting for an answer before she was walking towards the bathroom.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and looked at some of the flower bouquets on display. Ino really was an expert when it came to flowers. Shikamaru knew little to nothing about plants, except that they needed to be watered to live. His hand ran over the petals of a sunflower as the door to the shop opened, the sound of the bell ringing throughout the store.

"Oh, uh, welcome to the Yamanaka Flower Shop. The owner just ran to the—" Shikamaru started, turning around from the bouquets to greet the customer that he wouldn't be able to help. But as soon as he was turned around, he stopped his greeting, and it took everything he had not to jump over the counter in front of him and greet the person who had walked through the door.

"Choji! Choji's home!" He nearly yelled, running around the side of the counter and onto the shop floor and wrapping his arms around his oldest and closest friend. Choji chuckled and pat the lazy nin on his back. "Hiya, Shikamaru. How's it going? I just got back, and you and Ino weren't home, so I came to see her at work. I didn't expect to see you here."

"Did I hear someone say Choji?" Ino called from the back, running in and jumping over the counter to hug her friend. "Welcome home Choji!" Ino said as he wrapped her arm around him and Shikamaru. "Ino! Good to see you." Choji greeted as she joined their group hug.

Choji had been away for two weeks on a special mission. If it went successfully, it was very likely he would be promoted to jounin, the highest ranking of ninjas in the village, except the Hokage of course. Both Ino and Shikamaru had missed him terribly, and were glad to see he had come home in one piece.

Ever since they were children, Choji had always been the middleman of sorts. He and Shikamaru were the closest of friends, and he and Ino were really good friends too. Back when Shikamaru thought girls were troublesome, he would always invite Choji to do things with him, making Ino feel left out. That would start an argument between Ino and Shikamaru, and Choji was always the one to settle things between them.

Now that they were older, the immature arguments had faded, but Choji was still the peacekeeper, trying to resolve any conflict in a safe, intelligent way. Without Choji, Shikamaru and Ino would probably fight a lot more than they really did. Nobody wanted to be lectured by Choji, so the two of them were on their best behavior around their old friend.

"So?" Shikamaru asked as he pulled away from the hug. "How did the mission go? Will I be seeing you at the weekly jounin meetings from now on?" He asked, interested as to whether Choji had gotten promoted. Choji simply laughed and patted Shikamaru's back again. "That's the thing. I want you two to come over to my place for dinner tonight. We can talk then. I have to run to the Hokage and report in, and I'll probably find out if I've been promoted then." He scratched the back of his head nervously.

"You have nothing to worry about. You'll be walking home with a brand new jounin vest. And Ino and I will be there to admire it, right Ino?" Shikamaru looked to the girl. "Yes, of course! I can pick up something for dinner on my way home today. I'll be there for sure." Choji smiled. "Great! Then I'll see you two later. Don't start any trouble, now."

As soon as goodbyes were exchanged and Choji walked out the door, Ino and Shikamaru sighed. "Thank goodness he's safe. Can you imagine our lives without good ole' Choji?" Shikamaru asked Ino as they headed back behind the counter. "Nope, and hopefully I never half to." Ino replied, moving to freshen up some of the bouquets Shikamaru had been looking at earlier. "You should have seen the look on your face, Shikamaru. You looked like a little boy who just got a puppy for Christmas. It was adorable!" Ino smiled at him. She had wished she had a camera to take a picture of the sweet reunion.

"I'm just happy my best friend is back from a dangerous mission safe and sound, is that so wrong?" Shikamaru teased. "I bet if I went on a dangerous mission and came back safe, you would be just as happy to see me, Ino. Right?" He was genuinely interested if she would be happy to see him had be been in Choji's place.

"Hm." Ino hummed quietly, trimming a few leaves from a bouquet. "Well, I wouldn't have someone to hold my hair back as I threw up, now would I?" She laughed jokingly. But to Shikamaru, that answer was a little offensive, considering what he had done for Ino the night before.

"Huh? That's all I am to you? Someone to hold your hair up?" He asked, standing up from the chair he was on. "So you're saying if I left on a dangerous mission and died, you would be at my funeral saying 'he was really great at holding my hair up while I barfed'." This wasn't good. Shikamaru was grumpy from working hard in the back of the store, and it was starting to make him emotional. He rubbed his temple a little before heading to the back of the store. "You know what? Forget it. I'm out of here."

All the while, Ino had stopped tending to the bouquets and watched as her friend overreacted. "What? Shikamaru. I was kidding. Are you really upset over this? Shikamaru, wait." But before she could get another word in, Shikamaru was out the door. Great. Good job Ino. You've managed to screw everything up again. She took a seat where Shikamaru had been moments before, and replayed what had just happened in her head.

Shikamaru should have known she was joking when she said it, so why did he get all uptight and grumpy when she said it? Sure, he had helped her out in the past, but not enough for him to get so emotional like that. Okay…maybe that was an understatement. Shikamaru had helped her so much, not only recently but all of her life. Whether it was walking her home when they were out training late at night, to paying for her lunch when she forgot her wallet at home, Shikamaru had always been there for her. And she just treated him like he was nothing but garbage to her. Somehow, someway, she would repay him, and show him how much he meant to her.

And maybe it was time to tell him how she really had been feeling about him, especially recently. Every time she saw Shikamaru, she couldn't help but think he was her knight in shining armor. The way he smiled at her, the way he smelled, and everything about Shikamaru was slowly luring her in. Maybe…maybe it was time they talked about…starting something new.

Troublesome. That's all women are. Troublesome. Shikamaru's mind would not stop thinking about what had happened before he stormed out of the flower shop. I offer her a place to sleep, and food to eat after she's locked out of her apartment drunk as hell, and this is how she repays me? Maybe I should have left her out there…let her wake up at the bottom of the river. Okay, no. That wouldn't have been the right thing to do.

All Shikamaru wanted was a little appreciation. A simple gesture to show she appreciated all he did for her. More than a simple thanks. But, at the same time, he understood why Ino felt that way about him. When they were kids, Shikamaru had treated Ino like dirt, and that probably affected their relationship, even today. Ino had every right to say what she had said.

Grumbling, Shikamaru arrived back at his apartment and moved straight for his bed, landing face first in the pillows. Rest. That was what he needed. He would feel better after getting some rest. Shikamaru closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep.

Hours later, he slowly opened his eyes and stretched. Yes, he did in fact feel better after getting some sleep. Rolling over, he checked the time on his watch. It was almost 7pm…

7pm?!

Shikamaru jumped out of bed, grabbing his shoes and throwing them on. He had forgotten about meeting Ino and Choji for dinner, and was going to be late if he didn't leave soon. Grabbing his key as he headed through the living room, he swung the door open, and almost slammed someone in the head. "Whoops, sorry…" Shikamaru stopped when he realized who it was.

As soon as the shop had closed, Ino headed straight for the market and picked up a few sides dishes for the three of them to have for dinner at Choji's. She then headed right back home, and saw the lights in Shikamaru's apartment were out. She was planning to knock on his door and pray he answered, but it didn't seem like he was home. Hopefully he would still show up at Choji's.

So instead, she took out all of her frustration by baking. She made two trays of cookies, and an apple pie. Just as she was pulling said pie out of the oven, she checked the time on the clock on the wall. It was almost 7…she needed to hurry. After packing up the baked goods and the side dishes, she made her way upstairs, only to almost be run over by someone coming out of Shikamaru's apartment.

"Hey, watch where you're…" She too stopped when she was face to face with Shikamaru. "Oh…hey." She greeted awkwardly. "Hey." Shikamaru replied, just as awkwardly. The two of them stood there for a few moments, not moving. Finally, Shikamaru moved to close his door and locked it up using his keys. "Ino, look, I…" He started.

"Shikamaru, I…" Ino started at the same time, but stopped when she realized they were talking over one another. "Go ahead, Shikamaru." Ino motioned for him to say what he wanted to say, and prepared for the bashing she was about to receive.

Sighing, Shikamaru reached over and took some of the dishes from Ino's hands. "I'm sorry I overreacted earlier. I was tired, and not in the best mood. I know you were just kidding…so, sorry." He waited for Ino's response, thinking she would bash him for being such a drama queen.

Shikamaru was…apologizing? But he hadn't done anything wrong! "Shika, it's my fault. Of course I don't just see you as someone who holds my hair back while I barf. You're…you're my friend, Shikamaru. Of course I would be worried if you went on a dangerous mission, just like I was worried about Choji when he went on his. I never should have even joked about something like that…I'm so sorry, Shikamaru."

Huh? She was apologizing? Shikamaru started at Ino with a bewildered expression as she apologized, not understanding why she was saying these things. The two of them started walking towards Choji's apartment, not taking their eyes off the other. Maybe this was the opportunity Shikamaru was waiting for.

"Okay, so we both screwed up. Let's just move on, okay?" Ino nodded. "Yes, I'd like that. Thanks, Shikamaru."

Soon, they were outside Choji's door, but Shikamaru wasn't going to let this moment pass without saying a word. "Ino?" He asked to get her attention. Ino turned and looked at him, smiling. "Hm? Yes, Shikamaru?" That smile made Shikamaru's insides melt, and he felt his stomach tightened as he stuttered.

"Uh…well…see…Ino, I…" He started, but was interrupted when the door to Choji's apartment swung open, revealing Choji holding a brand new jounin vest. Both Ino and Shikamaru turned as the door opened.

"Guess who just got promoted to—oh, sorry. Am I interrupting something?" Choji asked, but couldn't say another word before his friends barged in the door.

"Choji! I knew you could do it pal! Guess I'll be seeing you a lot more often from now on!" Shikamaru cheered, putting down the dishes in his hand to pat his friend on the back.

"You did it Choji! You worked so hard for this, and now you've made it! Congratulations!" Ino hugged her friend, overjoyed with the news.

So, the awkward moment was almost completely forgotten, and the three friends enjoyed a night of celebration for Choji's accomplishment. Stories were told, memories were made, and soon Shikamaru and Ino were waving goodnight to Choji and heading back to their own apartments.

"I'm so proud of Choji. He really deserved to be promoted. I can't wait to hear what Choza's reaction is once he finds out!" Ino said happily, carrying some of the now empty dishes back to her place. "Me neither. I'm sure he'll be very proud too." Shikamaru responded, also carrying some of the dishes and following Ino back to her place.

Once they were in her kitchen, Shikamaru watched as Ino started piling dishes into the dishwaser, leaning against her counter. "So, Shika." Ino started. "What were your going to say before Choji opened the door? You sure were nervous…"

Shikamaru's stomach clenched again. He had hoped she had forgotten about that little slip up. He had determined he wasn't ready to talk about it yet. "Oh…it wasn't anything important. Don't worry about it."

"Well, I want to know, even if it's stupid! What were you going to say, Shikamaru? Tell me." Ino insisted. She had hoped he was going to say what she thought he was going to say. Maybe he was going to say he was feeling the same way she had been feeing lately. That would make things easier for everyone…"Spit it out, Shika!"

Shikamaru froze. Maybe it was time to man up and actually say something? But what if she refused him? What if she never wanted to talk to him again? This could really affect their relationship, and could make things very awkward if not said in the right way. He took a deep breath.

"Ino, I…"

Author's Note: Bwahahahaha! How do you like that? Thanks for the reviews!