Friends.
by: ScarletLettersInTheSnow
Ino fell back onto the grass with a huff, wiping her forehead of the sweat that had started to bead upon her brow after an intense game of tag, which ended when Shikamaru tripped over his own shoe laces. Ino giggled and fell down a few feet from him. She let her head fall to the side, her eyes fixed on a blade of grass that was inches away from her lashes.
"There are tiny bugs," She mumbled, her hand flopping down over the smooth blade and peeling it from the ground, she held it up to the sunlight to inspect it further. "Come look Shika!" She called, sitting up anxiously and looking over to where he lay, eyes closed with his arms behind his head, propping it up.
She smiled and stood, grunting slightly as she almost toppled over her own feet, she quietly stalked over to him, her shadow blocking out the sun that was shining upon his eyelids.
But Shikamaru did not look up at her, nor did he move when she sat upon his stomach and probed his armpit with a small pale finger. "Wake up." She whispered, "Or I will kiss you."
Shikamaru peeled his left eye open, and sat up, causing Ino to fall off of him.
He looked at her with hazy eyes, reaching up to wipe his eyes as he looked her over with a frown. "Whhhat?" He drawled lazily, flopping back when he did not recieve an answer.
"Do you think we will be friends forever, Shika?" She asked, her pale face scrunching up in discomfort.
"Why wouldn't we be? I don't see you leaving me alone long enough not to consider me your friend." He said, his scowl only deepening as he thought on it.
"So you don't like to be my friend?" She asked ever so quietly, turning over onto her stomach, her hand flopping onto his own, where she picked at his fingers.
"I didn't say that..you did." He replied, looking down at their hands, then pulling his away.
"But that doesn't answer my question," She murmured, pushing her body up from a laying position, then to her feet.
"Maa." Shikamaru groaned, peeking up at her through a half lidded eye as she walked away. He sat up immediately. "Where are you going?"
She did not answer, or even turn to look at him.
She only kept walking.
Shikamaru walked a few feet behind her, a scowl twisted upon his features as he hid behind trash cans and people passing by, benches and any bush that was available as he followed her.
He did not like the idea of following, although he did this with Ino on a daily basis. Picking out any random villager and watching their daily habits, hiding suddenly behind any object o merely standing out in the open and holding hands, as she squealed in delight and pulled him over to a stray dog, or made him help pick up trash with her.
He had gained some high quality sneaking skills if he did say so himself, He felt a smile tug at his lips.
He returned his gaze to the girl that was walking slowly away, her purple dress standing out as he slipped in between legs of grown ups and through an pair of people who were kissing- Shikamaru shivered. Kissing was disgusting, especially that one time Ino tried to put her tongue in his mouth. She said something like, "Mommy and Daddy do it!" While she continued to try to kiss him. He shuddered, and looked up from his hiding place, which was currently a garbage can, as he followed not too far behind.
He watched her walk into the Flower Shop, and suddenly he stopped, his eyebrows furrowing as he tried to figure out why she had gone home.
Had he said something wrong?
He didn't think he did, which probably with him being Ino's friend, meant that he had infact said something wrong to hurt her feelings, but he was stumped.
Shikamaru slowly meandered over to the shop, his small hand grasping the handle and pulling it back with all his might- why did doors have to be so hard to open? Shikamaru sighed heavily and walked to the counter, where Ino's mother was hunched over a bundle of colorful flowers, humming some unfamiliar tune and every once in a while saying the words,"Kiss my eyes," with a dreamy expression.
Shikamaru's eyes slanted as a small brown brow perked towards his hairline. 'kiss my eyes?' He almost laughed. That must have been the most ridiculous thing he had heard since Ino asked him what clouds were made of.
Suddenly, Ino's mother turned around with a shocked expression, "Shika-chan, hello there." She gasped, her hand on her chest as she blinked down at him, a smile soon appearing on her features. "You scared me."
Shikamaru blushed, his hands sliding into his pockets as he looked away from her. "Is Ino here?" He asked, although he already knew she very much was.
"Yes dear, she just went up stairs." She replied, a sly smile spreading over her lips as she shooed him towards the stair case. "Go on, you can go up."
Shikamaru nodded and started up the stairs, his small tan fingers gripping the rail nervously. He hated stairs, or to be more specific, he hated heights. So with one foot he stepped up, then the other and stood there for a moment, staring at the next step, and the next until he was at the top. He dare not look back, for fear he might fall.
He scampered away from the stairs quickly enough though, and within seconds he found himself knocking on a purple colored door, with little flowers painted sporadically across it's front.
The door knob twisted slowly, and a blond head popped out, a red rimmed, puffy eye visible under her messy bangs. "What do you want, Shikamaru?" She asked, her voice sounding stressed and forced.
"I wanted to know why you left me at the park." He said, pushing her door open farther so that he could come in.
Ino tried to hold the door shut, but gave up as he brushed past her.
"I didn't want to play anymore." She huffed, crossing her arms as she looked away from him.
Shikamaru sighed. "What did I do Ino?" He asked quietly, walking over to her and pushing her bangs back behind her ear with a dirty hand.
Ino bit her lip and pushed herself away from him, stalking over to her bed. "Nothing." She spat, sitting on her bed and looking away. "Why do you care, you don't want to be my friend any way."
Shikamaru's eyes widened slightly, his hands sliding into his pockets as he meandered over to her bed, his little eyes set on her own.
So that was what this was about.
Shikamaru knelt down, peering up under the shield of blond hair with a small smile. "Ino we will always be friends, you know that."
Shikamaru grunted in surprise as she flung herself at him, her tiny pale arms wrapping around his neck as she laid a kiss on his tightly shut eyelids.
He blinked up in surprise, a blush spreading over his tan cheeks as he looked up at her.
"Really, Shika?" She asked, her nose scrunching up in delight.
Shikamaru could only nod as she sat up, pulling him to his feet, her hand still clutching his own tightly.
"You wanna play house?"
Shikamaru groaned.
Somethings never change...