Authors Note: So I was excited to write the last chapter. However, I am really excited to write this chapter. I even started it about hour after I finished the last one. In this chapter the italic or past part it in the POV of Inoichi, Inos' dad. When the chapter switches to the 'present' the POV will be back to Ino.

P.S.- I don't own Naruto. If I did, you could just watch this in the anime or manga. Nevertheless, I am just writing this story. =)

BTW: This chapter is about 100 words longer then the last. The longest chapter yet!

What a Life

When I was growing up my goals differed with age. As a child I wanted to grow up and be just like my father. As a teenager, I wanted to be the best ninja in the village. Now as an adult I want to be able to do my job and have a family.

Although, my goals have changed, one thing has stayed the same. The constant in my life is the desire to be with the one woman I love. As a child I tried to outdo her and as I teenager I wanted nothing more than to impress her.

Now that I am married to her, my life could not get any better. At least that is what I though eight months ago, before she came home with the news. I walked into the hospital, today, knowing I would have a son; a son to train and brag about. He would be the best ninja in the village.

I hold in my arms a beautiful baby girl. I keep thinking 'If I move she might break.' Yet I cannot find one ounce of regret within me. With a son, I would have trained and molded into a strong, handsome man. Now with my daughter, I will protect and comfort. I will do whatever it takes to keep her safe.

We chose the name Ino. It is a not only a family tradition, but also completes the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. If this wonderful bundle of joy chooses to pursue the life of a ninja, the trio will live on; although, I do not want to think about that quite yet.

(Two years later)

Slowly I walked to the Naras' house. My mind was in several different places at once; although this was no jutsu. Scenes replayed in my head of Ino at her first birthday party, Ino in the hospital after she was born, and Ino taking her first steps.

I opened the door and removed my shoes. I turned the corner just in time to see the angel that had taken over my thoughts. She was fast asleep in her mother's arms. I smiled and went to sit down.

"I think I am going to take Ino into Shikamarus' room, that way both of them can sleep and we can still talk." My wife said and quietly stood up and moved away, towards the young Naras' room.

'How has time flown by so fast. It seems like just yesterday I was holding Ino in my arms for the first time, now she is two years old.' "Hello, Inoichi, are you in there?" My best friend and team mate Shikaku said as he waved his hand in front of my face.

I laughed and replied "Sorry, I was just wondering where the time went." Yoshiro, Shikakus' wife smiled "Ino has grown up so much. I see her almost every day; I still can believe she is two. She really does look like you Inoichi. She has the same hair and the same eyes. She will be a knockout when she is older." I shuttered at the thought of Ino attracting a guy's attention.

My wife walked into the room after putting Ino down for her nap. "Both Shikamaru and Ino are sleeping soundly. They are just so adorable. But before I start to ramble, let's talk about why we are here."

My stomach flipped and I started to second guess our decision. "Both clans, the Nara and the Yamanaka, have agreed to this. I just keep wondering if this is the right thing to do."

My wife put her hand on mine and Yoshiro started to talk. "Inoichi, the Ino-Shika-Cho is renowned across all of the nations. This decision will guarantee that the trio stays that way." She paused to give time for other input.

"If we sign these papers, when the time comes, there will be no decisions. The hokage has agreed. He has seen Ino and Shikamaru. He says that even at the young age of two they work well together. If Ino falls, Shikamaru is there with her."

In my head this all made sense, but I could not get my hand to sign the paper. "All of you know if either of them wants to be with someone else, if either of them thinks they could work better with someone else, and we sign this, there is nothing that we will be able to do. We will have to tell them of this agreement and odd are they will hate us."

"Inoichi, we know the risks, but think of the future of the village. They are best friends now; they will be best friends when the time comes. It is now our job to make sure they stay that way."

I quickly signed the paper, knowing the right choice in all of this. Shikaku passed out the sake. "To us, because from here on out, we will need all the help we can get."

"Ino duck!" I heard Shikamaru yell. I moved my body lower, just in time to narrowly miss a kunai. I jumped back and got into position.

Shikamarus' shadow moved silently towards our opponent. When he tried to jump away Choji used his partial multi-sized technique to hold him in place. Once the opponent was held down I released me mind, literally. It was all over.

I opened my eyes and blinked at the light. The sun was setting. The sky erupted colors from orange, pink, and blue. "Need help?" Shikamaru stood over be slightly bent, offering his hand. I reached up and was pulled up from the ground.

"Unbelievable, I have been doing that technique for years and I am still disoriented after it. I know my minds is leaving my body and going into someone else's, but really it is just so frustrating." I said with more of an attitude then I wanted.

Choji put his hand on my shoulder, his bag of chips already open. "Don't worry Ino, you will get it." He said smiling then added, "Oh and thanks Kakashi-sensei, we needed someone to practice with.

Kakashi grumbled about something then took out his book and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"Okay, well I have to meet my dad for some more practice. I will see you guys later." Choji said and walked towards his house.

"Ino your face is bleeding." Shikamaru pointed out. Immediately I pushed healing chakra into my hand and healed my face. "Why didn't anyone else tell me that?" I said more to myself then to Shikamaru.

"Want to go get some ramen? By this time, we missed the weekly dinner at my house." "Sure Shika, but since I am still light headed and such, you can pay!" I hooked my arm in his and started towards Ichirakus'.

I ate one bowl of ramen and decided that was enough. "I know that I complain about paying for the ramen, but really it is no problem, feel free to actually eat something." Shikamaru looked at me and frowned.

"I ate a bowl of ramen, if I eat too much" Shikamaru put money on the table and walked away, not letting me finish my sentence. "Hey!" I ran after him and yelled. "Stop being so rude, you could at least listen to me when I talk to you."

He stopped in the middle of the road and turned to me. "Ino I listen to you all of the time. I hear about how you painted your nails this shade instead of that shade."

"I listen to how you almost bought the cutest pair of shoes, but didn't."

"I even listen to you when you talk about how great you date with, whatever his name was, went three days ago, and how he has never called you back. But I will not hear another word about your stupid diets." By this time he was shouting and people were staring at us.

"Shikamaru calm down, if you don't want to hear about my diets, I won't tell you about them anymore." I said trying to get him to stop yelling. Just as when we were children, it is rare for him to lose his temper. "No Ino, how about you just quit the dieting."

He grabbed my shoulders. "Ask anyone in the village if you need to diet, they will say no." I ripped myself away from him and ran as fast as I could.

'My parents tell me the same thing and I never get mad, I just brush it off. Why is it, when Shikamaru says it, it sounds so much worse.'

I ended up at the cemetery. Slowly I walked towards the grave. 'I cannot believe you are gone Asuma-sensei, it still does not seem real.' I stopped walking when I noticed a woman at his grave. She turned and smiled.

"Hello Ino, long time no see." She had her baby girl with her. "I was just leaving." She walked towards me and stopped before she passed. "Asuma would be so proud you and Shikamaru and Choji."

I grinned as tears threatened to spill over. "Thank you Kurenai-sensei." She moved towards the exit of the cemetery.

I sat in front of the grave and started talking to Asuma-sensei, knowing he would not answer me back.

When I heard footsteps behind me the sun had all but set. "I sat back there and watched you. I could not hear you, but I knew you were talking. Ino you know that he can't talk back." Shikamaru said as he lit a cigarette and set it on the grave.

"I know that, I can talk to someone without them telling me something I don't want to hear." I stopped to look at his name inscribed on the stone.

I continued, "But if he could talk to me, if he were still here, he would have said the exact same thing you said. I think that is why it upset me so much.

I stood up and hugged Shikamaru, I was no longer mad at him. "Come on Ino, my mom said that our parents have something to tell us. We should get back to my house." I released him and we started to walk.

We walked into his house and I immediately knew that this was serious. All four adults were sitting in the living room and stopped talking when we entered the house.

My mom started, "Ino, Shikamaru would you sit down please. This will be easier to tell you if I know that one of you will not jump and attack." She turned to look at my father, who was glaring at the scroll on the table in front of them.

Mr. Nara took over talking, since it was obvious my mother was not going to continue. "Fourteen years ago, that scroll was signed." He gestured toward the scroll my father was staring at.

"You two have always worked well together, we could all see that starting from a very young age. Ino, you are protective of Shikamaru, you always have been. Shikamaru, you are just as if not more protective of Ino. It's funny because neither of you even know it." He looked at Mrs. Nara as she started to talk.

"We did this with both of your best interests in mind. Today, this is rare to happen. Even in our time it was rare to happen. However, given the circumstances, it is an option that we had to take."

My father looked me straight in the eyes, "Damn it, stop sugar coating this for them. Fourteen years ago we all signed this scroll. This means that neither of you have a choice in the matter. It is what is best for both you two and the village."

He took a deep breath, "In two years' time you two are to be married. Consider this time your engagement."

My father kept talking, but that was the last thing I heard before I blacked out.

"Ino! Ino sweetie wake up!" My mom said frantically. When I eyes opened my mom was hovering over me. "Oh good it was all just a dream." I said.

"No it was not a dream, troublesome girl." Shikamaru, who was sitting beside me, said. "Our parents actually set up for an arranged marriage. Who the hell has arranged marriages anymore?" He raised his voice and stared to the floor.

I shot up, into a sitting position, almost hitting my mother in the process. "Wait it was all for real. You waited all these years to tell me that I am marrying him." I pointed toward Shikamaru.

"What if I had met another guy, what if I fell in love with another guy? What would you guys have done then?" I said. My mind was still trying to grasp the fact that I was going to marry Shika. He was my best friend and a team mate.

"If there was another guy involved, you would have been ordered to stop seeing him today, when we told you about the arrangement." My father said sternly.

I jumped up and yelled, venom practically seeped out of the words. "Damn it, you cannot order me to do anything! I hate all of you!" I blindly ran out the door and I had absolutely no idea of where to go. All I knew was I needed to get away from them.

(Sometime later)

"You know your parents are pissed that you ran away. I mean they expected it, but they are still pissed."

I ignored his voice. Currently, I was lying in the grass and flowers counting the stars in the sky.

"I know you hate me, but don't ignore me Ino." He said as he lay beside me. "I don't hate you Shikamaru; I hate all of them for doing this."

I turned my head to look at him. I expected him to be staring to the sky, but he was staring directly at me.

"Do you hate them for setting up an arranged marriage in the first place or hate them setting up and arranged marriage for you and me?" I sat up avoiding his eyes.

"That's not fair Shika. I don't want to be in an arranged marriage, no matter who it is with. I want to be able to marry someone that loves me. You are my best friend and my team mate. Didn't they see that this could also hurt the team?" I heard Shikamaru shift to sit up with me.

"If we are constantly arguing now, what will happen when we get married? It can't be good for team work if two people are stuck being mad at each other and living under the same roof." I took a deep breath.

"Can I say something Ino?" Shikamaru said then paused, waiting for a response. "Okay." I returned, not entirely sure of what he was going to say.

"Ino you want a guy that loves you. I have loved you for years." My head whipped around. "But I have loved you the same way you love me, as a best friend." He held eye contact.

"We have grown up together and I don't think anyone knows you better than me, and vice versa. We can practically read each other's thoughts." He paused, "Well, without a jutsu that is."

"If we get married like we are now, it will be awkward and neither of us will be happy." I frowned and looked at the ground. "So what do we do about it?"

"We change it." With the one sentence, my stomach rolled and butterflies moved about it.

"When the incident happened at my house, I blamed it on being a teenager and hormones. But I left out one thing, chemistry."

"It happens all of the time. When you kissed me on the cheek, a few years ago, under the mistletoe it was there. During the incident in my room, it was there. It has been there with every hug we have given each other for the last few years."

"The butterflies fly around your stomach, your face get really hot because of the blushing, the immediate denial, and then saying to yourself 'this is my best friend'."

"I can't believe you remembered the kiss under the mistletoe." I said astonishingly.

"I remember it just as well as you do." He half laughed. "Ino I want to try something. I need you to be okay with it though. I think, if we do this and it works, this whole ordeal will be a lot easier for us."

I shyly look up at him, "What do you want to try?" I said, not knowing what it was. When he answered, it took me by complete surprise. "I would like to kiss you."

My minds shut off then rebooted its self. 'Did he just say wanted to kiss me? How will that solve anything? It will be completely awkward. No, no, I have to say no to it.'

"Okay, if you think that it will help. But I don't see how it will." 'Stupid Ino, you were supposed to say no!'

He took my hand and stood up, pulling me up with him. There we were standing in the middle of a field of flowers with the moon and stars shining down on us. It was perfect, just like a scene from any good movie. But all I could think was 'How am I going to get through this?'

He leaned closer to me lay his forehead on mine. "Are you sure this is okay Ino, if I know you, and I do, this will be you first kiss."

Once again my brain stopped. 'He is right; this is going to be my first kiss! How do you kiss someone? No, how do you kiss your best friend, who you are being forced to marry? Someone needs to come out with a book for this stuff.'

"Yeah it is okay. This is going to be my first kiss, so I don't know how to" I was stopped by his lips pressing against mine.

I always thought my first kiss would be simple. I would not have anything to analyze. But, boy was I wrong. All possibility of simple was erased when the fireworks started exploding in my head.

Shikamaru moved back, but kept his forehead on mine. I could not stop the blush that spread across my face. I started to panic, he was not saying anything.

'Am I a bad kisser? Why isn't he talking? What do I' my thoughts were cut off by him saying "Wow" and once again pressing his lips to mine.

Author Note: I thought I was excited about writing the last chapter, but I smiled a whole lot more while writing this one. I am a sap for the movies with great kisses in them (Love the Notebook). I wanted to try for a great first kiss for Ino. I am hoping that it came out as well as it did in my head. If anyone is reading the story and liked the kiss as much as I did… please tell me (meaning put it in a review)! Until next chapter…

Blondegirl09