Chapter 16: Crazy Little Thing Called Love
"Would you put your shit up, Inoichi?" Shikaku yelled, "It's like living in a pig-sty around here." He picked up a couple of empty beer bottles and the magazines under them, tossing the magazines at Inoichi who was dozing on the couch and then heading to the trash can to dispose of the bottles.
"What is your problem?" Inoichi grouched, raising up off the couch and letting the magazines tumble to the floor.
Shikaku stalked back over to the couch and leaned over picking up the magazines to throw those away, since Inoichi wasn't claiming them.
"Wait…wait… that's the swimsuit edition of Shinobi Illustrated – I'm not done with it yet," Inoichi yelped, grabbing for the magazine.
"Then put it up, put all this crap back in your room. You've got stuff strewn all over the place. I'm tired of stepping over your shit!" Shikaku shoved the magazines back at the blonde.
Inoichi just looked in amazement at his friend, then over to the kitchen where Chouza was. "What the fuck did I do?"
"Yoshino's back," Chouza called back from the kitchen. "Or at least, she's due back today. I think our friend Shikaku is a little bit hen-pecked."
"Whipped you mean," Inoichi replied, Shikaku just glaring at him.
"Dunno," Chouza chuckled, "Not sure if you can call it that if you're not getting any."
"True, true," Inoichi mumbled, scrambling along behind Shikaku trying to gather up clothes and shoes before he pitched those into the trash as well.
Having collected an armful he went into his room, dumping those onto the bed. Returning to the living room he added thoughtfully, "Although, wouldn't that by definition mean you were even more whipped?"
Laughing, Chouza saw that his gear was the next target of Shikaku's purge and scurried to claim it all, depositing it in his own room and closing the door behind him. "Satisfied? " he asked, smirking.
"Look, there was stuff everywhere. It's a trip hazard everywhere you look," the dark haired boy began, sinking to the middle of the sofa.
"Shikaku, she's a kunoichi, perfect balance, perfect coordination, tip-top physical condition. She's not gonna trip in our living room," Chouza said in a reassuring voice, his teasing somewhat more gentle than that of Inoichi's as he settled down to the left of Shikaku.
"Tip-top," Inoichi nodded plopping down on the other side of his friend.
"What?"
"Kunoichi. They're in tip-top shape. Tip-top. Village girls are nice, they're more soft and cuddly, but kunoichi can handle a little more strenuous physical workout."
Shikaku looked at the blonde in amazement. "What do you mean a little more strenuous? Tsunade could whip your ass any day."
Leaning back against the sofa, legs sprawled in front of him, Inoichi looked at the ceiling and smiled, "Hell, I wouldn't mind if she did whip my ass every day."
Trapped between his two friends, Shikaku had to suffer through a couple of bawdy choruses of "What Do You Do With A Young Kunoichi" before struggling, laughing to his feet.
"Look, I'm going to go do laundry. Why don't you all do the same? It stinks around here." Still laughing he went to his room and stuffed everything into a duffel to take downstairs.
Chouza and Inoichi agreed that it was a good day for catching up and joined him.
"So, what are you two going to do today?" Chouza pestered him.
"I don't know." Shikaku grumbled.
"I know," Inoichi said brightly, "Why don't we all get see her. We can go to a movie just like last time…"
"That wasn't what I had in mind," Shikaku cut him off sharply.
But Chouza joined in on the fun, considering her "their" little kunoichi and Shikaku realized it wasn't going to be easy to get rid of his pestiferous friends. The three of them headed down to the mission room to see if she'd made it back yet.
To his satisfaction they were just returning after having seen to it that the cargo was accounted for in the receiving docks and all the civilians were taken care of as well. She was just collecting her pay when he came up to her in line.
"Shikaku," she said happily, "I didn't expect to see you here." Then looking over his shoulder, eyes wide, she added, "Or Inoichi and Chouza. Hi guys." She cocked an eyebrow at Shikaku and he just shrugged, hoping she knew that he had at least tried to ditch his friends.
It was…kind of frustrating in an odd kind of way to be standing there with him after wanting to see him for so long. Part of her wanted to throw herself into his arms and kiss him and part of her realized that she really had no right, as a matter of fact it would be downright embarassing, inappropriate even, especially with his two friends with him.
After stowing her gear back at her house they spent the day together, all four of them, cruising the streets of Konoha. They went past a bookstore and as Shikaku had expected, he ended up having to pull her and Inoichi both out of the sword-and-sorcery section (or as Inoichi affectionately referred to it the slash-and-screw section) after what seemed like hours. Which raised the interesting point of did Yoshino actually read that genre? Apparently so because she was arguing with Inoichi over the finer points of one of his favorite series. He thought that if he and Chouza had left them there until closing time, they probably would have been right where they left them, flipping through books and earning the ire of the shopkeeper.
Shikaku had noticed while in the bookstore, a certain dark-haired customer in a Uchiha-crest jacket seemed to be overly interested in Yoshino's conversation with Inoichi. She seemed to be uncomfortable around him. Interesting. He'd have to ask her about him later.
They finally parted ways for the evening when Chouza and Inoichi decided to go get dinner and Shikaku and Yoshino indicated they weren't hungry yet. Watching the two friends head off to the restaurant, Shikaku and Yoshino turned and strolled off in the opposite direction. Without having a conscious plan in mind, they walked hand-in-hand in the evening, eventually winding back up in his neighborhood.
He went to pull her to him then, but not really having to as she was already stepping into his embrace. Shikaku leaned down to kiss her for the first time that day, for the first time since she'd left two weeks ago. He wrapped his arms around her, drawing her close.
Stretching herself out against him, Yoshino realized how much she loved that feeling of his arms around her, like he was never letting go. She loved that he was so much taller than her, she loved how his arms felt around her, loved his beard and the way his shoulders were so broad beneath her hands, loved how he tasted. She realized quite profoundly how much she loved … him.
Breaking the kiss, breath hot in her ear, beard pleasantly scratchy at her cheek, he whispered, "I missed you."
She respondily huskily against him, "God, I missed you too."
Hands slipping down from her waist now to curve against her butt, pulling her hard against him. Yoshino clung to him, barely balanced on her tip-toes depending on him to stand for the both of them. He kissed her hard, hungrily, leaving her gasping for breath as he kissed down her throat and across to the sensitive juncture between her neck and shoulder, causing her to arch her head to one side. He nipped and then licked there where his teeth had barely grazed, making her knees turn to jelly,sure that she'd never be able to stand on her own.
His voice was rough,back at her ear again, demanding but pleading at the same time. "Stay, Yoshino. Can you stay?"
"I…I…yes," she answered weakly.
Taking her by the hand, he led them up the stairs to the doorway to his apartment. Fumbling with his keys, he finally got the right one in the lock. As he turned it with one hand, he slipped the other around her waist, holding her tight, kissing her deeply, tongue probing, seeking as they tumbled in the door.
They managed to make it to the sofa and sank down together on it, sitting at first but then lying back together, Shikaku leaning above her. She couldn't get enough of him, not his hands or his tongue or his taste or his scent.
He skimmed those hands down her body and then back up, slipping one beneath her tunic on the way, the silk of her skin softer and warmer and more wonderful than that of her shirt. His other hand was making deft work of the toggle buttons of the tunic, he already had half of them unbuttoned when the hand beneath her shirtbrushed across one breast, cupping it then working on the little clasp of her bra.
Quivering, she recognized that she was already half-way undressed faster than she would have thought possible. Part of her was thinking that she should really say something like stop or wait but all that seemed to make it past her lips was to murmur his name.
He brushed the cloth of her tunic and bra aside and she trembled like a leaf beneath his hands. And everywhere his lips touched, his hands touched her skin in those places burned her like fire. Kissing further down now, she felt the roughness of his beard at her throat at her chest, as his lips traveled on down her body.
Below on the street just outside the apartment, two friends returned with their bags of take-out. Having been away the whole day they decided to simply get the food to go and hang out back in the apartment for the evening. As they approached, Inoichi got a wicked gleam in his eye, sensing immediately what his long-term friend was up to.
Chouza hissed after him, "Inoichi! Inoichi! You're spying again aren't you?"
Inoichi just looked back over his shoulder. "Hey, you can come with me or you can yell from out here right now and warn him. Which is it going to be?"
Chouza just grinned back and shrugged. Being ninjas after all, the two of them ascended the stairs in complete silence.
"Hand check!" Inoichi yelled, bounding through the door.
Shikaku set upright, pulling Yoshino up with him, she had her head down, face buried against his shoulder, shaking, but actually laughing a little in relief. Things had really been going a little too fast – it was almost frightening and she was actually a bit relieved that they had been interrupted.
"Inoichi! What the hell…"
"Hey, hand check, Shikaku, get them up. You too, Yoshino!" he teased as Chouza sat the food down in the kitchen.
Still giggling against his shoulder, Yoshino fumbled with her own clothes hastily redoing the clasp and buttons. She smoothed her hair and smiled at Shikaku who was wondering if he could strangle Inoichi in his sleep tonight. He sighed heavily, very heavily and smiled back at her. Some things were worth waiting for.
"So, who wants dinner?" Inoichi asked, quite pleased with himself.
A/N: Poor Shikaku, between ANBU and Inoichi what's a shinobi got to do to get laid around here?