A/N: Hi everyone! I can't believe I took a short break from Identity Crisis to write this, but I was so fired up that I had to get it out of the way. Thanks to TheCopyMistress and Denilmo for moral support and brainstorming in the early stages. This is my first one-shot fic, and my first piece that isn't rated M. I'm a bit insecure about it, but I wanted to persist.

I hope you enjoy it!

BY THE WAY, I'VE MOVED MY STORIES OVER TO Ao3 UNDER K_WAIFU. If you have an account there or read on Ao3, that's my preference! I would love to comment directly on any reviews you send my way!

Look, I get it. I really do.

Shikamaru heard Temari's exasperated voice in his head, replaying like broken record over and over again.

She's your best friend. You have a long generational history, she's your teammate, you trust her with your life, but I just want you to be sure-are you sure that's all she is to you?

He reimagined the facade of confidence in her stance. Temari would always stand a little taller, hold her chin a little higher, furrow her eyebrows more intensely when she was unsure of something she didn't want to reveal.

Of course that's all she is, Shikamaru told himself. He had explained himself one too many times in this matter, and even though Temari seemed to accept the description of his friendship with Ino, the dark, sea-green eyes reflected a deep-rooted uncertainty.

How do you know you won't wake up one morning and realize that you love her?

She had asked him that question in earnest-it wasn't like Temari to be consumed by jealousy, and so he knew that she was asking for clarity, for both of them before proceeding in this marriage.

Because I asked you to marry me, and I asked you to marry me because I love you.

"Mendokusē," he muttered languidly. Shikamaru stuffed his hands into his pockets as his head tilted backward.

He watched the clouds float across the vivid blue sky, wondering why women couldn't proceed through life just as calmly as the clouds did.

The thoughts of women really were a drag sometimes… he had asked her to marry him and he was firm in that choice. Did she really have to question it?

At first, the two of them had mutually decided to wed in a month's time rather than to have an elaborately planned event like Naruto and Hinata's wedding. The decision was rather impulsive. It was quite unlike him, yet he knew he had made the right one because everything within him felt at peace.

But of course, given his status as the head of the Nara Clan and her immediate relation to the Kazekage, a small intimate wedding was out of the question.

When confronted by the councilors for both Konoha and Suna, Temari had looked at him with a slightly resigned apologetic look and he had shrugged his shoulders in response. It was a moment of mutual understanding.

That's when he knew that no matter the manner that it happened, he was delighted to be marrying this woman.

In preparation for their newly established elaborate wedding, Temari had returned to Sunakagure to file transfer paperwork so that she could remain on the Sand Council as a liaison while stationed in Konohagakure. Before leaving that morning, Temari had sent him on wedding errands to make up for her absence.

She'd given him fairly two bothersome tasks that he felt she should be in charge of-tasks such as designing the invitations, choosing the paper for the origami cranes, and selecting proper sake cups for the wedding. He felt that the only task he really should have been assigned was to choose which haori and hakama he'd wear for the wedding. He didn't want Temari to be upset by his choices.

But what could he do?

Shikamaru strolled casually through the back alley's of the shopping district. He continued peering upwards, watching the clouds roll over the tops of shop buildings, listening passively to the chatter of shoppers on the parallel street.

His movement was automatic. He didn't even need to look forward to know where he was headed.

The Yamanaka Flower Shop.

Are you sure that's all she is to you?

"Tch…"

Of course that's all she is…

He heard the familiar melodic hum of a bright voice and the sound of flowing water come into range… He lowered his head to see Ino tending to the front display with a garden hose.

She was wearing her old yellow apron-the same one she donned as a young teen-over her standard purple adventure outfit.

For some reason, the sight of her enthusiastic care for her greenery put his burdened mind at ease. It had never occurred to him that the color of vivid apron corresponded with her flowing golden hair until now.

As he approached her, he felt a smirk settle on his lips.

It was likely that Ino heard the tap, tap, tap of his sandals upon the the stone path, because she straightened her posture and twirled excitedly towards the source of the sound.

"Shikamaru!" she exclaimed, eyes glistening with delight for his sudden visit. She shut off the hose, dropped it to the floor with a thud, and bounced over to meet him. "What are you doing here?"

"Well…" he replied sheepishly, raising an arm to smooth the top of his pulled-back hair. "I think I need some help with…"

Shikamaru couldn't find it in him to finish his sentence. Ino had a shop to run. How could he foolishly expect to pull her away from her duties?

"Wedding decisions?" she asked, completing his sentence knowingly. A grin sprawled across her smooth skin, smile radiant under the morning light.

"Yeah, invitations..." he confessed, avoiding eye contact for the feeling of intruding upon her responsibilities. "And some other things… Maybe when you have more time."

And just when he thought her excitement couldn't be any more evident, she clutched onto his sleeve and pulled her towards the shop door.

"Nonsense. This is important! My best friend is getting married and needs my help!"

She reached for the handle and pulled the door open. He listened for the sound of jingling bells as they passed the frame and the assaulting sweet scent of various blooms.

"Oka-san!" Ino cried cheerfully, letting go of his sleeve to remove her apron. "Shikamaru is here!"

Shikamaru stood awkwardly, hands still in his pocket as he leaned all of his weight to one side, waiting for the resolution of Ino's call.

Soon, an older brunette with her hair pulled into a bun appeared from the door of the back room.

"Shikamaru-kun!" she greeted happily, wiping her palms on her apron to reach out and grasp Shikamaru's hands in hers. "How are you? How is the wedding planning?"

"Oba-san," he bowed politely and smiled, "We're just getting started. It's all a little troublesome, if you ask me."

"Oh, that's quite like you," she laughed mirthfully, closing her eyes in glee. "You haven't changed since you were a boy. But you know that Ino and I will give you as many flowers as Temari-san dreams of, right?"

Shikamaru smiled bashfully, grateful for the offer, but also guilty for it. "We couldn't possibly."

"Shikamaru-kun," she chided sternly, yet with a motherly smile. "You are family. Don't forget that."

And with her words of finality, Shikamaru couldn't help but concede, "Thank you. Temari will be ecstatic."

"Oka-san," Ino interrupted kindly, clearly pleased by the exchange. "Shikamaru has come to ask me for help. Is it alright if I go?"

"Oh, of course! It's not every day that Shikamaru-kun gets married!" And then she was hastily pushing Shikamaru towards the door, insisting through her body language that he and Ino couldn't possibly stay any longer.

"I'll handle it here, Ino-chan. You take care of Shikamaru-kun."

"I will," she called back as she hooked an arm through Shikamaru's and led him away.

Once they were a considerable distance away from the shop, Ino's volume decreased as she spoke. "My mother loves you, Shikamaru."

"I'm grateful," he responded with a slight smile. "Your mom always insists on taking care of me."

"Well, she's happy for you. We all are," she said gently. Shikamaru looked down at the woman latched affectionately onto his arm to see a soft smile and a dreamy look on her face.

And then they walked in a comfortable silence, Shikamaru silently leading the way towards their first location-the paper shop.

The two of them had walked in silence just like this many times before-particularly when Choji wasn't around as their times of quiet were sparse in his presence. It was a familiar silence; she was a familiar presence, one that he allowed into his personal bubble in ways that he granted only to a small few.

Ino was one of them. In fact, Ino was the only other woman besides Temari that he would comfortably allow to walk on his arm. For years he'd thought nothing of it. It had just been an unspoken token of their friendship.

But today, with Temari's question nagging at the forefront of his mind, he had to wonder…

Am I sure that's all she is to me?

In silence, he doubtfully affirmed to himself that there was nothing romantic about this relationship.

He was in love with Temari with his entire being. Since the chuunin exams, she had impressed her way into his conscience and slapped sense straight into his heart. She had an endearing hardness about her that drew him in… Temari was absolutely the one. There was no perceivable flaw in their relationship.

By the time the two of them silently reached the paper store, Shikamaru's troubled thoughts were momentarily pacified.

"So I've been thinking during the walk," Ino spoke calmly, emanating a contentedness about her. "Neither you or Temari are extraordinarily extravagant… so I think you should pick something simple, classic, and elegant."

Ino tilted her head up in his direction, her blue eyes hopeful as they sought his validation.

"That sounds like us," he concurred apprehensively. "This wedding business is really bothersome… you've got to think about stuff like that?"

"Of course!" Ino huffed excitedly. The smile returned to grace her cheeks. "And lucky for you, you've got me to help you."

Her head snapped forward in pride with a playful smirk.

"Sai takes me here often to shop for his supplies. I'm pretty knowledgeable in paper nowadays, if I do say so myself."

"Is that so," Shikamaru hummed in response, allowing himself to be dragged into another shop.

As they entered, the shop had the distinct dull smell of a bookstore-or perhaps paper , since that was what they had in common. He could have sworn that the dust particles were vividly visible in front of his pupils as he proceeded through the dark, dark, narrow aisles between tables piled with all sorts of paper styles, stamps, and adornments.

There was no space for the two of them to enter side by side, and so, to accommodate for the lack of room, Ino stepped directly in front of him and let go of his arm.

Without the permission of his conscience, Shikamaru's arm glided up to place a palm lightly on the small of Ino's back, maintaining the closeness of their walk even as they made their way into a shop.

She didn't flinch and normally he wouldn't think about his actions. He had done this so many, many times before without a single thought as to whether or not it was appropriate.

"Shikamaru," she whispered, unaffected by his touch as she moved forward. "I think I know the perfect color scheme-it'll be traditional and elegant at the same time…and it'll represent both villages."

She looked back at him. His hand instinctively grasped tighter in a protective motion, guiding her body forward to ensure she didn't crash into anything while she wasn't paying attention.

"I trust you," he told her, and he watched her smile softly before she turned her head back in front of her.

"Ino!"

Out of the darkness, the old shopkeeper approached them with a grand smile wearing an old faded white apron and holding a dated, old broom.

That explained the dust.

"What brings you in today? Where is Sai?"

"Good morning, Ko-san!" Ino greeted cheerfully, finally making it into a tight clearing of the shop.

Shikamaru filed in behind her, hand dropping back into his pocket as they stopped moving.

"I'm actually here today for a friend. This is Shikamaru, and he's marrying the sister of the Kazekage!"

Ko looked at him with slight shock, the drooping skin of her eyelids lifted all the way up in surprise. Shikamaru chuckled nervously and offered a kind smile; he would never get used to this kind of attention, titles, and formalities of being associated with Temari.

"Congratulations!" Ko spoke in awe, the look of wonder never leaving her face as she regarded Shikamaru. "What can I help you with?"

"Actually," Ino cut in. "We're here to look into invitations."

"Invitations! I'll have you know that I prepared the invitations for not only the Uzumaki-Hyuuga wedding, but for the Sandaime 's wedding too!"

Ko beamed with pride, and Ino masterfully added, "You're the best, of course! Why do you think we're here?"

It was clear to Shikamaru that she was quite familiar with Ko and the contents of the shop. He looked back and forth to witness the excited chatter of the women in front of him, paying particular attention to Ino as she shined in her element.

All of the sounds around him faded out, or at least he stopped paying attention to them. Instead, their voices melted into a choppy murmur, only hearing the words "red, green, purple, and gold."

Ino's blonde hair and persona emanated light in the dark shop, her smile and enthusiasm almost made one feel her altruistic nature as if it were an aura. Ino was quite lovely. This wasn't the first time he'd been able to appreciate her beauty, but this time it was truly beyond the physical.

He was more attuned with the color and vibrancy that she brought into his life.

From his peripheral vision, he gathered that Ko was retreating somewhere, presumably to fetch whatever samples Ino had asked for. And then Ino turned to face him, her grin redirected towards him.

"Well, what do you think?"

Her voice jolted him back into reality, back into the dark room, back into the mental zone in which he should have been focusing on his wedding with Temari .

"Yeah," he replied almost forcibly, pretending as though he had honestly been paying attention. "Red, green, and purple are good colors."

"And gold!" she added cheerily. "It'll look beautiful. I think simple heavy textured cotton paper with black calligraphy is enough. It's the traditional envelope that willreally make it pop."

Ko quickly re-emerged from the shadows, holding two sample envelopes to share with them.

"This was your recommendation," Ko said, offering a folding dark purple envelope with red, green, and gold ribbon adornments. "The color scheme is great, but if you'd allow me to make a suggestion…"

Ino grabbed onto the purple envelope, her eyes wide open in anticipation. Ko turned to Shikamaru and handed him a muted gold envelope.

"It is my opinion that if you remove the purple from the adornment mixture, it loses an element of design and falls flat. But if you look here," and then she waved her hand over the gold envelope. "The neutral yet elegant base of the gold envelope allows us to return the purple into the mix… I even added a touch of pink to offset the dark colors. What do you think?"

Shikamaru didn't even have to look at Ino to know that she must be reining in an absolute explosion of excitement. He knew that, for his sake, she was waiting to him to make a comment or a decision on the envelope.

Looking back and forth between the two envelopes, he definitely could see that the purple envelope seemed much more flat than the gold one. Seeing the colors side-by-side, he understood why Ino had chosen the colors. Konoha was represented in red, and Suna was represented in green. They were wrapped together by gold and offset by purple and pink for contrast. He felt that Temari would like the envelopes too.

"I like your suggestion. It looks great," Shikamaru concluded confidently. "Let's tentatively order one hundred of these. I have important people from two villages to invite. Will you allow me to take this sample home to my fiance? Once I get her approval, I'll call you to confirm."

"Absolutely!"

From the side of his vision, he knew Ino was smiling with satisfaction across her face. She would always get amused when he turned business-like as he did just then.

"And Ko-san," Shikamaru added hesitantly. "Would it be wrong of me to assume that you might also be able to order coordinating origami sheets for our 1000 paper cranes?"

"Not wrong at all."

Once the two of them were outside, Ino was outwardly pleased with herself.

"What did I say? The best!" Ino kicked her leg forward and playfully locked her hands behind her back.

"She was really helpful," he admitted, stuffing his hands in his pocket again as he began to walk.

"I meant me, obviously," she teased with her tongue, following his stride.

"Of course," he conceded with a smirk and a scoff. "Thank you, too."

Shikamaru looked at his companion to find her staring happily back at him. Again, he was struck by her happiness, and she was waiting for his instruction for whatever task he had next.

"Ceramic shop," he suggested.

"Sake cups for the Sansan Kudo ritual?"

"Yeah."

And then they began to walk in silence, and once again, Shikamaru found himself comfortable in such a space with her. This time, they could not avoid the busy flow of the main shopping street due to the shop's location. They cut through a narrow alley to merge right into the main street. In an instant, their seemingly quiet walk was interrupted by the conversation and laughter of shoppers galore.

As they travelled, Shikamaru noticed that they walked closely enough for his arm to be against her shoulder. He glanced down at Ino's face to see a resting curl on her lips as she stared ahead of her-alert and focused on the destination.

As they walked in silence, he began to ponder that very important question yet again.

She was certainly an important friend. It wasn't like he started the day thinking about Ino and convincing himself that he had to get her help. He set out to begin his day and his feet moved to find her without his knowledge.

And he couldn't ask Chouji for help because they'd stop at every turn for food or overindulgent spending-not to mention endless conversation that might drive him wild when he had important things to ponder over.

Important things such as the possibility of having unknown feelings for Ino.

Once he had realized he was heading for her, there was no use in turning back.

But her sensibility for his temperament was precisely what he appreciated her. Most people saw a noisy and boisterous Ino. She was typically yelling at someone or asserting her opinions somehow.

But with him , and just him, she spoke calmly, softly, and deliberately. Perhaps only a select few knew the quiet, intelligence, and altruistic side of her. The truth was that, behind all of the pomp and show, was a deeply caring woman who desired to care for everyone.

"Shikamaru, can we stop here for a second?" she asked beside him, motioning him towards a street stand.

He nodded and recognized the shop immediately. She smiled and ran off, no doubt to purchase her favorite pudding. Shikamaru watched her retrieve her order from the worker and she ran back, handing him a bottled water before focusing on her own food.

"Here," she offered before tilting her head. "Is something wrong?"

"Thanks," Shikamaru said as he twisted cap off of the bottle. "I'm just tired."

"When aren't you?" she joked softly, taking a spoonful of her pudding.

"I'm fine, Ino," he said in an attempt to dismiss her concern.

Ino took another scoop of her pudding and held it up to his mouth with a smile.

"Have some," she urged. "It's sweet. I think you need it."

Shikamaru wasn't one for sweets, but he also knew better than to refuse Ino. It was more trouble than it was worth. And so, he opened his mouth slightly to receive the spoon that she fed him with.

It was certainly sweet, alright… definitely too sweet for his taste. He swiftly took a swig from the water bottle to wash down the sugar and held it out to her to drink from.

"No thanks," she refused lightly. "Unlike you, I like this dessert. Maybe the sugar will give you some energy, huh?"

Ino began to trek ahead of him, eating her dessert as she walked.

He followed absently behind her, once again thinking about the open nature of their relationship. Now that he thought about it, it was no wonder Temari had asked about his relationship with Ino…

In retrospect, it really was quite the intimate relationship, wasn't it? And up until now, until Temari pointed it out, he'd never really noticed it before.

As he pondered over their passive actions over the course of the morning, he passed under a shop arbor, and his hair lightly snagged onto a hook of a hanging lantern.

"Agh…" Shikamaru grunted, his hand moving up to unlatch his black hair from the grasp of the hook.

Alerted by his grunt, Ino spun around to approach him. Without speaking, she stood directly in front of him, no more than perhaps four inches of space between them. She held her dessert in one hand, and with the other, reached up to smooth the hair that had been disturbed.

Shikamaru watched her silently as Ino's eyes were intent on his hair. She raised herself on her toes to reach him. Ino's eyebrows would always tighten ever-so-slightly and she would wet her lips before pursing them as she focused. He felt her finger dig into his pulled hair, likely in an attempt to tuck in the loose strands, and then she brought a finger down to lick it. Using her moist thumb, placed her hand back on the top of his head to smooth it.

Yeah , he thought to himself. This is definitely more intimate than I thought .

"There," she stated proudly. "Not so bad."

And then, as she had before, Ino slid her arm into his, leading him away without a second thought.

The interesting truth about this interaction was that he found he enjoyed this aspect of their relationship, though he would never admit to to her.

Chouji and Ino were his best friends, but his relationship with Ino was a world of difference from the relationship he had with Chouji. He loved her dearly and so deeply as a friend.

He wondered to himself as he walked silently, but does it mean anything more than just that?

And would he be thinking these things if Temari hadn't planted them in his head?

When they finally reached the ceramic store, Ino released him and went straight in to scour the shelves of flat ceremonial sake cups.

The shopkeeper was busy tending to another customer, one who seemed to be buying various tea sets, and left Ino ultimately undisturbed as she moved from shelf to shelf, focusing on her task with a lowered brow and pursed lips.

Shikamaru couldn't help but smirk in watching her. She was just so invested in something as small as sake cups, simply because it was for him and he knew that.

He passively looked through the shelves himself, running his eyes through various shades of ceramic cups in uniform style.

But these were not san san kudo cups…

"Shikamaru, over here!" he heard her call from behind him. He turned to see Ino peering into a glass case full of flat sake cups. As he approached her, he found that her eyes had already settled on a set.

"Look at this one," she whispered quietly, entranced by the set she felt was best.

She was pointing at a black tray with a red lacquer on the inside. It was trimmed with gold leaf, and atop the tray were three stacked sake cups with the same color trend. Beside it was an old traditional sake gourd glazed a luxurious red, speckled with gold flakes, and decorated with an elaborate golden/white crane.

"What do you think?" she inquired curiously. It was clear in her voice that she was hoping he'd like it.

And in all honesty, he did-not that he had too many design opinions anyway, and it was Ino who had the eye for these kinds of things.

"I trust your judgement," he said, repeating the same sentiment he'd shared at the paper store. "I think it's nice."

She smiled brightly and stood up straight with a clap of her hands, her golden hair swinging behind her as she began to turn away.

"It's decided then," she spoke happily, and she ran off to get the clerk's attention.

As she disappeared, Shikamaru returned his attention to the sake set. It was maturely elegant with just enough accents of gold to make it fancy enough for a wedding. He'd hoped that Temari would like it-after all, it was she who suggested they have a traditional ceremony.

When Ino returned with and elderly clerk, he smiled widely and said, "So when are you two getting married?"

"In autumn," Shikamaru responded amicably.

"You're a lucky man. Your future wife is lovely," the man commented, turning to smile at Ino.

She looked up at him with a smile, pausing for a moment before they both realized that the man thought Ino was his betrothed.

"Oh no," she giggled with her hands up. "This is my best friend. I'm just helping him shop."

"Ah, well forgive me," the old man said kindly, turning to Shikamaru once more. "Congratulations."

"Thank you," he replied, stuffing his pockets with his hands and turning again towards the glass. "How much is the set there, the black and red one with the gold crane?"

"Ah, don't worry about it. Your lovely friend paid for it already."

He turned to Ino with surprise as the man moved behind the counter to pack the merchandise.

"Just one of my wedding gifts to you," she giggled sweetly.

"Ino…" Shikamaru paused, feeling guilty gratitude. "You can't just keep showering us with gifts. The flowers are more than enough."

"Shikamaru!" she called with a slap of her hand on his back. "It makes me happy to do this, so just let me!"

In that moment, Ino sounded just like her mother.

Shikamaru chuckled and put his hands up, conceding instantly to her aggressive affection.

"Okay, okay. Thank you, Ino. Really."

After a morning of quick shopping, Shikamaru and Ino sat on a bench at the nearby park to rest before going separate ways.

He realized that, without Ino, this day could have been much longer than he'd have liked it to be. It was quite the strategic move in asking Ino to come along, even if the decision instinctively came from his body rather than his mind.

Without her, he wouldn't have known what to ask for. He wouldn't have known what colors to look for, or what kind of paper, or even design to buy at the paper store. It's possible that he would have walked in circles for minutes before discovering the San San Kubo display at the ceramic store.

And even when did locate what he was looking for, the deliberation process would have gone one out of two ways: he either would have taken much too long to decide and then would have chosen something hasty, and likely regrettable, or he would have chosen something hasty from the beginning, settling on anything he thought was remotely nice to get him out of the door.

Ino was really just what he needed. He really could always count on her for anything.

And she sat beside him, leaning her head on his shoulder, watching the birds hop around in front of them, picking at leftover seeds from a previous visitor.

"You know," she said quietly. "To be honest, I've been planning that color scheme for some time. I'd even put together some mock corsages for Temari, hoping to get it perfect before I presented it to her."

"What flowers did you use?" he asked equally as soft, feeling absolutely comfortable in this moment.

"Green, purple, and red chrysanthemums. I played around with the sizes so that they mixed well together… but I also used some white and purple orchids, and one white lily. I strung a really nice red and green tassel around it too. It's really pretty Shikamaru, and I think Temari will look stunning with it."

He smiled for the care she held for Temari and then leaned his cheek on the top of her head.

Ino smelled like an assortment of flowers.

"Do you think she'll like it?" Her voice had a hint of insecurity.

"I do," he replied confidently, comforting her worries. "She'll like it because you made it with her in mind."

And then they fell into that familiar silence once again, listening to the chirping of the birds as they hopped around in the sandy dirt.

"Shikamaru," she called out again, interrupting their shared quiet.

"Hm?"

"Has everything been okay since wedding planning started?"

"The planning is troublesome, but everything's been relatively the same."

"That's a good thing, right?"

"It is."

He felt the subtle movement of her breathing against his arm. She curled her arm around his again. It was a cozy between them.

"How about you and Sai?"

He noticed that she began to fiddle with her thumb as she thought about her answer.

"We're great, actually. I still deal with the effects of The Federation from time to time, but he's making an honest effort. He treats me well, and I adore him."

"That's good."

"I think I'm going to marry him someday, Shikamaru…"

This had taken him by surprise, but even more surprising was the automatic smile that formed on his lips from her admission.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I just feel it."

"I'm happy for you," Shikamaru admitted, and he realized he meant it. He imagined Ino in a bridal shiromuku, wearing all white, her blonde hair styled into a beautiful arrangement of buns and flowers.

"Me too."

There was nothing but happiness, and excitement for that particular future-a future that did not include him as anything but her best friend.

And in the silence, he recognized something that he hadn't before. When he and Ino were together, they were in a bubble-relatively unaware of the world around them.

It was just them. They were immersed in the calmness of their friendship, and it was for that reason that he failed to recognize the intense intimacy of their friendship before.

It was true… to an onlooker, perhaps it did look like they were in love each other.

And in truth, he realized as he sat beside her, that they really did love each other in a way that could not be shared with anybody else.

It was not like his love for Temari, which was wholeheartedly romantic and exclusive in and of itself. It was not like his love for Chouji, whom to him was everything like an annoying brother.

His love for Ino was exclusively for her. It would be wrong to say that she was like a sister-she wasn't. In this moment, he recognized that he and Ino perhaps could be romantically compatible, but acknowledging it was enough. He didn't need to think about what life would be like if he were dating her. He didn't care to know what a kiss from her would be like.

In this moment, he felt as though perhaps Ino-the real Ino, the one sitting here beside him, not the publicly thrashing one-was his soulmate, yet not in the traditional sense.

He simply loved her, and her presence and friendship was enough and all he'd ever need or want from her.

Both of them were in committed relationships with other people, neither of them were experiencing jealousy, only true and legitimate support for the other.

Ino loved Temari too because he loved Temari.

And Shikamaru was rooting for Sai's success because she loved him.

With that conclusion, Shikamaru was finally able to table Temari's previously haunting question.

She's your best friend. You have a long generational history, she's your teammate, you trust her with your life, but I just want you to be sure-are you sure that's all she is to you?

Yes, he told himself inwardly, imagining that he was sending his final discovery to Temari somehow. I'm absolutely positive that this is all she is to me.

How do you know you won't wake up one morning and realize that you love her?

Listening to the soft breathing of his friend beside him, he smiled, and answered the question in his mind.

I woke up today and realized that I did love her… as my best friend and that's all it'll ever be.

Shikamaru removed his cheek from the top of Ino's hair and tipped his head back to look at the afternoon sky. He understood that it was likely that his relationship with Ino would change, and that it had to be so…

Temari, he thought to himself as he watched the clouds roll by, confident once more in his choices. I love you.

"Shikamaru," Ino called once more, interrupting his peaceful revelation.

"Hm?"

"Are you sure something isn't bothering you?"

With this question, Shikamaru sat up straight, physically urging Ino to sit up as well. He turned his head to look at her with a slight smile as he leaned his elbows on he knees and let his hands hang.

"What is it?" she asked confused, curious about his expression.

With a newfound resolve, Shikamaru felt that he was now able to answer Ino's question.

"I've been thinking about something all day," he murmured quietly. "And the problem is that it breaks tradition-which is the theme of my wedding."

"What is it?" she repeated. He could tell she couldn't guess, and he couldn't believe he was going to say it himself.

"Ino," he said, moving his arm off of his leg to place his palm atop her head. "You're my best friend…"

She was quiet, waiting.

"And I just wish I could ask you to stand beside me as my best man…"

Her eyes widened in surprise, and it was almost as if her mouth dropped open in shock.

"But…" she started, and then she was silent. He moved his hand back onto his lap.

Shikamaru looked away from her for a moment in thought. Both of them understood that he and Temari would have a public image to uphold, and breaking tradition was never quite accepted in public relations.

And then suddenly she laughed lightly and pushed his arm with her freehand.

"Idiot," she cried. He turned back to her with a smirk, only for it to fade quickly.

Ino was actually crying.

"Hey," he called out slightly panicked, attempting to soothe her with his voice.

"Even if I can't stand beside you, you know I'll do anything for you to make sure that day is the happiest day of your life!" she exclaimed through her tears. And then suddenly, Ino was quietly sobbing beside him, tears streaming down her face as she let out embarrassed laughter mixed with happiness.

Even in tears, he could feel that she was the happiest she'd been all day.

"I know," Shikamaru said softly, pulling Ino into a tight embrace so that she could cry on his chest. "They couldn't keep you away from my wedding even if they tried."

She laughed hard in his chest and nodded. "Not…" a hiccup came from her throat, "a thing."

"Idiot," Shikamaru teased with a smile, feeling the love he shared with his best friend, and the tremble of her body in his arms. "Don't cry so much."

And then he leaned back, taking her body with him, tilting his head back to watch the clouds roll by as he waited in comfortable silence for Ino's crying to subside.

Mendokusē, he thought to himself silently with a contended smirk on his face.

The thoughts of women really were a drag sometimes…