Ino's eyes popped open and a small voice in the back of her mind told her that she was not where she was supposed to be. This was mostly due to the fact that she was pressed up against someone-a man, to be exact-and she knew for a fact that Shikamaru wouldn't hold her like this. Not in a million years. Not to mention, this was not even his cologne. Nor did the person lying next to her stink of cigarettes.

She pulled her head away from the man's chest and peeked at his face. Kiba. The man was Kiba. She considered slapping him awake seeing as this was the second time that she had woken up at his house. However, as she raised her hand to slap him a good one, memories of last night flooded her brain. Being thrown up against a wall, being stripped, Kiba going ape shit on them, Kiba yelling at her...

She slowly lowered her hand and grinned at him. He may have been a tough guy last night, but he didn't look like he could harm a fly the way he was right now. He looked so peaceful as he slept, so angelic. It was a strange contrast from his usual boisterous self. Besides, she had needed that lecture from him. Although it may have been harsh, he had been right. All he had done was help her. Ever since they met at the market, all he's wanted to do was help her, yet she still treated him like the boy she had slapped and deserted on a walk so many years ago.

Why did I toy with him? She thought. She lifted herself so that she was sitting up on one elbow. She gazed down at Kiba for moment, then began combing through his hair with her fingers. Kiba sighed in his sleep and nuzzled into her chest. She blushed furiously and tried to ignore how it felt to have a man this close to her again. Still, it was hard to suppress; it sent tingles throughout her limbs.

She continued to comb through his hair, letting herself zone out as she did. He was sweet, thoughtful, kind, he had the whole "bad boy" vibe going on, and he was loyal as hell. He literally was like her own personal puppy dog. She scratched behind his ear and felt his leg begin to kick lightly. Seeing this, she fought back the laughter that was building up in her throat.

Why didn't I give him a second glance? Was I really that stupid?

She hadn't woken up next to Shikamaru too often, but when she had, he was usually about two feet away from her and snoring lightly. Yet, here she was with Kiba, sandwiched together on this tiny couch. Despite the lack of space, Ino decided she wouldn't mind waking up to this every morning. He felt so warm against her, and she felt so loved with his head on her chest.

I wish that, maybe, I could've...

She quickly pulled away from him and slid as carefully as possible off of the couch and landed onto the hardwood floor. She looked at the clock that hung from the wall and saw that it was about 10 o'clock. She knew Shikamaru had another mission today that involved Temari, so she figured he wouldn't be around for the rest of the day and well into the night. For whatever reason, this fact didn't exactly bother her. A strange feeling of contentment rushed over her that hadn't been a normal reaction to this situation in the past. She peered over her shoulder at Kiba's sleeping figure.

I can spend the day with the mutt.

The thought made her stomach clench in anticipation. However, Kiba was still pretty knocked out so she decided to leave him be, considering he had stayed up almost all night to make sure she would get home safe.

A sudden yawn peeled her lips apart and she stretched her arms towards the ceiling until the t-shirt she wore slid just above her thong. A soft whine made her abruptly pause. Had Kiba woken up? She blushed furiously before looking in the direction of the whine and seeing Akamaru seated patiently by the door. He wagged his tail as their eyes met and Ino grinned.

"Hey, Akamaru," she yawned again, finally dropping her arms back down to her sides. The dog yipped in response and his tail thumped loudly against the floor. Ino winced at how loud the noises sounded in the silence of the house.

"Shhhhh!" She pleaded, not wanting Kiba to wake up. Akamaru seemed to understand perfectly and instantly stopped what he was doing. Ino raised an eye brow at him. Is this dog part human or something?

She watched as he turned towards the door, scratching at the wood, demanding for her to open it.

"Hold on," she said. She rushed to Kiba's bedroom and towards his dresser. She pulled out a pair of boxers and tugged them on. She then hurried back to the front door and tore it open.

"Let's go potty."

Akamaru looked unimpressed with her tone of voice. She sounded like she had been talking to a baby. She noticed the "are you kidding me" look he was giving her and shrugged a shoulder.

"Sorry."

She followed the dog outside, marveling at how bright the sun was for this time of day. The gentle breeze pulled at her oversized clothes, tugging her towards the nearby woods. She complied with the silent hands that pulled at her, and began her trek into the forest with Akamaru following close behind.

"Look out, Akamaru!" Ino squealed in delight as she leapt from a tree limb into the river below. Akamaru barked with glee as Ino swam back to the surface, flipping her hair in an arch so it fell down her back, flicking water everywhere.

During their walk, they had come across a wide river. Almost right away, Akamaru had jumped in and began to swim around. Ino had hesitated, but reluctantly peeled off everything but her underwear when the temperature had risen and jumped in with the dog. Since then, the two had been jumping into the river, doing flips and cannon balls off of various nearby trees.

Ino drifted onto her back and let herself relax and float, allowing the river's current to slowly carry her. Akamaru let himself float beside her, his face just barely sticking out of the water, his nose making light snorting noises.

Ino felt so free in the cradling waves of the river, just letting it flow and carry her wherever it went. She didn't have to worry about where it ended or where it was taking her. She just let it happen.

"Ino!"

Ino jumped at the sound of her name piercing through the silence. She looked up and saw Kiba standing on a tree branch above her. He was gasping for breath and looking extremely flustered.

"What's up?" She called up to him casually.

"What the hell are you doing?" He demanded breathlessly.

She looked at Akamaru who had also steadied himself in the water to look up at Kiba. "Swimming."

Kiba rolled his eyes and tore his fingers through his hair. "Shit, Ino. I thought you were...I thought they...shit, I don't know. You scared me!"

Ino gave him a sheepish smile. "Sorry."

Kiba sat down on the branch and stared at her. "So...swimming? How come?"

Ino shrugged. "Akamaru jumped in and eventually it got hot and the water looked really inviting."

Kiba grinned. He looked between her and Akamaru. Akamaru seemed to be giving his master a knowing smile and Ino felt some amazement at the bond between the two.

"It does look inviting," Kiba had his cocky grin on, his eyes staring right at Ino. Ino was suddenly painfully aware of how naked she was and she folded her arms over her chest. "Mind if I join?"

Ino looked down at her half naked body and blushed. Even though it covered about as much as her bikini would have, she still felt as naked as the day she was born. Kiba always seemed to be stripping her with his eyes, right down to her core, and being in her underwear would only make that easier for him. Still, they were just swimming and he probably wasn't even thinking of her like that. He was helping save her marriage, after all. It wasn't over stepping any boundaries.

"Go ahead."

Kiba smirked and instantly began pulling his shirt up and over his head. Ino tried to look everywhere except at him, but stole a few glances at his body. He was as tan as ever, with a few light scars scattered here and there across his chest. His muscles rippled as he tugged off his pants, and Ino peeled her eyes away as soon as Kiba lifted his head to look back in her direction.

"Cowabunga!" Kiba cried out, leaping from the tree and doing a cannon ball right beside Ino. Ino shrieked with amusement and covered her face to shield herself from the cascading water.

Ino readied herself, placing her hands on the surface of the water, and turning towards where she figured Kiba would resurface. She was ready to splash him in the face as soon as he came up.

Moments passed, and there was no movement coming from the water. Ino looked all around, yet there was no sign of her friend in the clear water of the river. Had the current carried him away? Akamaru whimpered and began doggy paddling in circles, searching with her. Ino felt her heart begin to race at the dog's reaction. She figured that if Akamaru was worried, she should be too.

"Kiba?" She called, frantically wading through the water, going further down the river. "Kiba!"

She swam from bank to bank, searching for any sign of Kiba, but to no avail. Just as she was starting to tear up, she felt something tickle her ankle. The tickle turned into a hand gripping her foot, then came a light tug and she was pulled under water. She twisted her body to face whoever had grabbed her and saw Kiba giving her a mischievous grin, air bubbles escaping through the sides of his mouth. She smiled back, but furrowed her eye brows, pretending to be angry with him and shoved him. He seemed to be laughing as he pushed himself off the river floor, heading back to the surface. Ino watched him go, his torso stretching slightly as he reached towards the sky.

She slowly followed him up, gulping in air as soon as she surfaced. "You jerk! I was worried!"

Kiba chuckled lightly. "That, my sweet princess, is revenge for scaring me this morning."

Ino glared at him, trying her best not to crack a smile.

"You should have seen that coming anyway," Kiba laughed. "I mean, seriously, what guy my age doesn't know how to swim? Especially a shinobi."

Ino rolled her eyes. "There's other shinobi out there that could've dragged you under."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" He teased.

Ino giggled. "Only if I was the one taking you down."

Kiba sucked some water into his mouth before spewing it out at her. She held her hands up and screamed.

"Kiba!"

Kiba roared with laughter before turning away and beginning to swim against the current. Ino realized how strong he must be as he had almost no difficulty fighting the current. She began to swim after him, and it didn't take her long to realize that she was getting almost nowhere. Just as she was about to give up, she heard a loud bark next to her. She glanced over to see Akamaru giving her his little doggy grin. In a flash, he had dipped his body underwater and come back up below her so that she was now sitting on his back and riding him like he was a pony.

She giggled with delight and latched onto his fur. In her best imitation of Kiba, she cried out, "Let's go, Akamaru!"

A/N: shit, you guys have awesome ideas and awesome questions. you could probably write this better than me haha

Look, I know you guys love Shika. There will be more Shikamaru later, I swear on my collection of band shirts. However, it will take some time. There will be some ShikaIno later, don't worry. All will be revealed in later chapters :)

As for Ino's job, I have a plan for that as well. But I'm keepin' that one on the DL until later _

And yes, ShikaIno1, Shikamaru did not use protection, but, I'd like to think he's smart enough to pull out, don't you? However, there is one shinobi who I think is not that smart...*wink* *wink* *nudge* *nudge*

Thank you everyone, I love the reviews. Please keep 'em coming :)