A/N: Yay! It's already December! CHRISTMAS :D It's kind of a short chapter this time and I felt bad that the previous chapter took so long to update, so this one is updating quickly! Anyway, hope you like it. :)
"I don't know what's gotten into me! I don't think about guys like this. Ever! Argh!"
Out of frustration, Yamanaka Ino grabbed the menu of the restaurant she was sitting in and began smacking it against her forehead until a hand grabbed the menu put it on the table.
"Stop that before I end up having to call you forehead, Ino-pig."
"Sakura! I'm going crazy. Our first real kiss has been replaying in my head over and over, it's driving me insane!"
"Okay. First of all, you need to calm down. People are staring." Haruno Sakura let her friend look around the restaurant to see that indeed some curious faces were staring at her, some even giggling. "Second, let me get this straight. The two times you guys do it, you don't feel anything and it wasn't special, but when you guys just kiss you got butterflies?"
Ino nodded. "With no tongue."
"Wow. No tongue, and you got butterflies?"
"AH! Sakura!" Ino dropped her head onto the table, barely missing the clean plate. "What's wrong with me? Is this what it's like when below average girls deal with guys? Tell me!"
"I'm going to ignore the fact that you indirectly called me below average and help you out, because I'm nice." Sakura glared at Ino's platinum blonde head, knowing she wouldn't see the look on her face. "Maybe you're, oh I don't know, falling in love?"
Ino's head instantly shot back up to look at her friend.
"Oh ha ha. How funny of you to joke around like that." She thanked the waitress who had brought out their drinks before continuing. "I don't fall in love. Remember?"
"Things change, Ino. It usually happens when one does a little thing called growing up."
"Ugh!" She dropped her head back down and Sakura rolled her eyes with a sigh. Sometimes Ino could be such a drama queen. Especially in public.
"Have you seen him since?"
"Nope. I've been hiding at home to make sure I don't run into him. I know we don't run in the same circles, but knowing him, he can find me fairly easily."
"You do know that he knows where you live, right?" Sakura poked Ino's head until she got back up. Again.
"Oh shhh, Sakura." Ino grabbed her drink and took a sip. "Stop being so smart for once."
"Fine." The young doctor leaned back against her chair and crossed her arms infront of her chest. "Has he called you?"
"Eight times."
"Wow."
"Yup."
Sakura stirred her drink with the straw and she spoke, "He doesn't seem like the guy to keep calling a girl he can't get."
Ino shrugged and grabbed her menu once again, this time to actually browse through the options for lunch.
"Why don't you give him a chance, Ino? What's the harm?"
"I could kill myself?"
"Ino." Sakura's voice was stern, proving to her best friend exactly how serious she was.
Ino sighed and look at her menu, frustrated that not only did she not know what to do with the Itachi situation, but also because the restaurant did not have their usual lunch special which was what she had been looking forward to.
"...I hate my life."
After the somewhat unsatisfying lunch, Ino wished Sakura a nice day at work and they walked off in the opposite directions, but not before Sakura gave another lecture about the whole Itachi situation. The blonde walked a distance before she reached the park and was surprised to see a male with long black hair in a ponytail, but it wasn't the one she was thinking about.
"Shika!" Ino trotted over to where he was standing, and to her shock, without a cigarette propped in his mouth.
"Oi."
Another dose of awkwardness had hit Ino. Seriously, what was going on with her? Since when did Yamanaka Ino ever feel awkward? Especially when this was Shika, her best friend and her brother. Even in the most awkward situations with complete strangers she could keep a cool head but it seemed like that wasn't the case anymore.
"Shika... I-"
"Save it, Ino." His tone was so harsh that Ino's cerulean eyes widened in shock, then turned into anger.
"I'm trying to apol-"
"What a drag." Shikamaru sighed and leaned his head back to face the sky. "Can you let me apologize?"
Ino's eyes widened even more, if that was even possible, but did not speak again. The lazy Shikamaru was apologizing for something?
"I shouldn't have lashed out on you like that. You know I don't think of you as filthy or anything else I may have said that night." When he looked at her, Ino could see that he was indeed really sorry.
"I know. I'm sorry for being such a drag."
Shikamaru chuckled. Ino smiled and took this as a sign to throw her arms around his neck in a hug.
"Troublesome." However, he smiled and hugged her back.
"So how have you been? You look a little down."
They were now lying on the green grass, side by side, participating in Shikamaru's favourite passtime: looking at the clouds. Ino had insisted they go somewhere nostalgic and practically dragged Shikamaru to this area. On their way to this area, she had called Chouji only to find that he was out with his parents at an all-you-can-eat barbeque restaurant, which he would definitely not miss, forcing Ino to roll her eyes.
"Just some issues with some people. Not a big deal."
"Who?"
"Noone."
They lay there in silence, comfortable ontop of the fluffy grass as the spring sunshine blanketed them. Ino quietly sat up and looked at Shikamaru, who was still lying down on the soft grass. His hands were behind his head and his left leg bent at the knee with his other ankle placed ontop of the bent knee. It seemed he was sleeping until he opened his mouth and began speaking, his eyes still resting.
"Whoever it is, Ino, give him a chance."
She was startled with his words, and stayed silent for a moment before whispering, "...How did you know?"
"There's nothing I don't know, Ino." When the lazy genius opened his eyes and saw the confused expression placed on Ino's face, he sighed and propped himself up on his elbows. "How about we make a deal."
"A deal?"
"If you give whoever a chance, I'll quit smoking. Forever."
Ino's eyebrow shot up, more amused than confused at this point. "You want me to go out with this guy that badly, huh?"
"Ino." Shikamaru sat up properly with a sigh so he could look directly at her. "I know you better than I know anyone else. So I know why you're acting this way. I know you."
"Shika, what on earth are you talking about?"
"The truth is, you've been doing this for so long but you can't keep doing this forever, and you know it."
"Do... what?"
"Avoid love."
"Hey. It's me."
"Hey."
"Sorry I didn't call you back. I was... busy, the last few days."
"I see."
"So... when are you taking me out for our next date?"
A/N: And the romance begins...
More characters added next chapter :D