Argghhh!!! I know it takes me sooo long to update this story! Wargghhh! Gomenasai!!!
ONLY FOR SHIKA-INO LOVERS
Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto.
BURNING KISSES
© ArAshiMitArAshi
"Burning Feelings"
"You…love me?"
Shikamaru looked straight into her eyes and nodded with all his heart. He drew his hands out to her and in a swift motion, he pulled her into his embrace.
"Yeah. I love you. So very much."
"As your teammate?"
"More than that."
"As your best friend?"
"Troublesome…" He chuckled, feeling funny at her unsure questions. Couldn't she believe him just like that? "You know it's more than that, Ino…"
"You love me as your sister then?"
Shikamaru quickly pulled her out of his arms and kissed her fully on the mouth, stealing her breath away. After breaking the kiss, he stared down at her –almost rolling his eyes.
"Never." That one word answered it all. He gave warning look, as a sign that he didn't want to answer any more troublesome questions. Ino smiled, patting his cheek gently.
"Just want to get you on your nerves." She jumped off the bed. "I know."
Then why ask more? He wanted to retort but his words died on his lips the moment he took in the sight of her nude form. Though he already seen her like this countless times, it was always like the first time. Her beautiful figure always turned his mouth dry, making him hot from the inside.
Ino was just so damn intimidating.
Controlling his desire, Shikamaru put himself to relax. It was pretty relieving to know that his confession didn't earn him a slap. At least she didn't get mad. Studying her closely, his quick mind didn't fail to realize that she was actually feeling the same way as him. That she loved him, too. And that her heart was burning with love dedicated for him and only him. He didn't need to ask the answers to his questions earlier for he already could guess what her inner feeling was.
But as she stated before, he, too, need to hear those answers straight out of her mouth. He needed to hear them in words.
"You got your answers, Ino." He didn't take his eyes off of her. "Now it's time for me to get mine."
Standing in front of the bed, Ino crossed her arms under her breasts. Right. It was now her turn to explain everything.
With the boosted confidence level in her blood, Ino was supposed to answer him immediately, without anything to be afraid of or to be embarrassed about. But the moment she was about to open her mouth, to tell him everything that he needed to know, everything that had been haunting him since she left him confused one and a half year ago, just a glimmer from his dark wanting eyes frozen her will.
It was a meaningful gaze, thrown directly at her way, wordlessly telling her that he didn't get enough of her, still wanted more. His sexy, seductive look traveled all over her from head to toe, cherishing her beauty. Though she was bare without any trace of clothing over her body, Ino felt naked even more, as if her skin was being ripped, stripped, layer by layer to the inner part of her, her core. She felt like she was a specimen under a microscope, being studied thoroughly by him.
And there, she felt the dangling sensation throbbed inside her again, the same sensation she felt whenever they were together, getting bolder and stronger each second that she was afraid the feeling will overpower her.
Ino needed to calm herself down.
"Where's your bathroom?" Instead of answering his question, she threw him one. She didn't know why but it was as if Shikamaru had flipped a button deep down inside her. She felt embarrassed to tell him her feelings. She was embarrassed to admit that her heart actually burned for him, too. "I need to wash my face first."
Shikamaru jumped off the bed and showed her the path to his bathroom, which located just beside his bedroom. Ino walked blindly in the dark and Shikamaru smiled lightly when suddenly a thought struck his head.
He was glad that he bought the house in the first place so that Ino could easily walk around the house naked.
"Ino?" He called out to her upon hearing the sound of running water filling the bathtub. He peeked into the bathroom and saw her standing just next to the marble tub. "Are you going to take a bath?"
"Nope." She answered simply without looking at him, keeping her stare at the filling hot water. Shikamaru noticed that her cheeks were flushed a little, tinted with light pink color, whether it was because of the steam emanated from the water or because of their lovemaking sometime ago, he wasn't sure because all he knew that she was so cute looking like that. Sometimes Ino had her tender moments and he loved it when those moments come.
He chuckled a little, stepping in. "So, what are you trying to do?"
Ino turned around and gave a knowing smirk. "Maybe taking you into a bath is a good idea?"
"Oh?"
"You stink." She made a face and went past him toward the sink. She turned the tap on and washed her face. "You seriously need a bath, Shikamaru."
Shikamaru smirked, leaning against the wall. He knew well of his condition. Tiredness blocked his will to wash up in the first place the moment he arrived home. But making love to her was out of question. Even in the verge of death, he will gladly do it. "You, too." He eyed her bare back. Her flawless skin was still glistening with faint sweat of her own and his. He had stained her.
Ino didn't answer but looked into the mirror instead. She sighed heavily upon seeing her slightly red eyes and puffy nose. "Oh, gosh… I looked terrible. I cried too much." She leaned closer to the mirror to examine her looks and detected his stare. She looked at him from the mirror. "What?"
"I'm waiting."
"For what?"
Sighing, Shikamaru slowly pushed himself off the wall and took a few steps toward her. At times like this, he really couldn't resist her. Her shyness only invited him to do wild things to her, things unimaginable. The desire in his blood that had not faded away throbbed with renewed life, wanting to be satisfied.
He ended up pressing her back with his front, pinning her between the sink and his body. He lowered his mouth down to her slender neck and murmured, "The answers."
Though actually he didn't give a damn anymore about those answers. What he knew was he was the lucky one who got to see her like this, he was the one who received all her burning kisses all this time, he was the one who claimed the precious crown of her womanhood for the first time, he was the one who had his fingers roamed wildly over her sweaty body every time. Against his better judgment, his selfishness dubbed her his, though he could have been mistaken her real feelings towards him.
Ino's face heated up instantly upon the closeness and she could feel her heart was racing fast. Very, very fast. Shikamaru's skin brushed hers softly, bringing out her arousal. His warmth froze her lips. She felt his stare on her again from the mirror and gulped nervously.
She couldn't produce the words.
His mouth touched the sensitive spot just below her ear and she gasped. Shikamaru moved forward, closing the distance between them. She could feel his lower region, hot, hard and ready, brushing her rear lightly, sending shivers up to her spine. His fingers gripped her arms gently and moved north, caressing her in the swiftest way to make her melt. Ino closed her eyes. It was not difficult to tell that he was craving to taste her again.
She wanted to give in, wanted to receive his love once more but thinking that this thing had to be fair and square, for Shikamaru had told her his burning feelings, everything that she wanted to know, curious about, that she had to do the same thing for him. Though judging from his look and behavior now, she could tell that he didn't care at all about those answers anymore.
No. Their relationship could not begin automatically just like that. She had to confess her feelings for him, too.
Speedily, she stopped his beginning tremors by turning her body to him. She lifted her chin high to match his height. She gave a swift kiss on his lips.
"Let's get you into the tub, first." Shikamaru grunted, being stopped in his actions he was, but Ino didn't care. She pushed him slowly into a walk.
The marble tub was narrow. It was not very comfortable with two people in it but they just get in together. Shikamaru went inside first and Ino came from behind, positioning herself just fine. He sat between her open legs, bending his own to fit in the space. The warm water felt nice and soothing. Shikamaru closed his eyes, enjoying the comfort.
Ino took a sponge, wetting it with water and soap and started washing his back. Her hand worked in circles on his back, washing all the dirt away. Shikamaru hugged his bending legs and rested his head on his knees, eyes shut tight as if he was asleep.
"I care for you," Ino began. "As in more than friends."
There was Yamanaka Ino, always confident and straightforward.
"Since we were little, since we were in the same team, since I've known you…" Ino inhaled, her actions were put into a halt, eyes staring at the bathroom ceiling. "My feelings…it burns for you all these times…"
Shikamaru lowered his gaze down to his feet. "But I thought you like Sasuke."
"Sasuke was history." Was her fast reply. "True, I liked him. But I liked you, too, was and still am. You are the first guy I know, the first who I ever get close to in my life. My feelings for you…it's different from what I feel towards Chouji. I don't know how to put it but…it's special." Ino smiled, lost in thoughts. "Then there was Sasuke. It's not impossible to like more than one person at the same time. It's just…maybe my feelings for him were more dominant back then…it was quite…obvious."
"Oh, it was so obvious, Ino." Shikamaru lay out the fact.
Ino chuckled. "Was it? Maybe it was…" Finished wetting his body fully, she put out the sponge and put her hands on the base of his neck. She began massaging him. "Well, I have no control towards my own feelings. He was every girl's dream anyway. But when he left the village, betrayed his own friends, let's just say that I lost respect on him instantly. He put yours and Chouji's life in danger. What a jerk."
Shikamaru gave a low chuckle.
"Then after that, we always spent time together, grew closer than ever that my feelings for you started to show. But of course I tried not to make it…obvious."
Ino startled when Shikamaru grabbed her hand and brought it to front, kissing every fingertip. "Why?"
The impact of being pulled forward made her chest crushed his back, their wet bodies pressed tight to each other. Ino silently gasped.
"Why…?" She sputtered. "Well, just because."
"Just because…?"
Ino sighed and blurted out, "I'm not your type."
"So?"
"I don't think that you would like me back in return."
Shikamaru smirked. "Why'd you think that?"
"Because we all know that at heart, I am the number one in your troublesome chart." Ino pulled her hand away from his grasp. "You wouldn't want me."
"Wrong."
Ino cocked an eyebrow.
"If Sasuke was every girl's dream, then you are every boy's dream, Ino." Shikamaru looked through his shoulder briefly, taking in her confused face. "Why wouldn't I didn't want you? Besides," he chuckled a little. "You are the first girl I know, the first who I ever get close to in my life, too."
Ino slapped his back hard, marking his tanned skin with her hand mark. "Then why don't you tell me that you like me earlier back then?"
"Ow…" Shikamaru winced, patting his back. "You're getting a lot stronger, huh?"
"Answer me!"
"Troublesome…" Shikamaru was just too lazy to lay out the fact that he was afraid to face the risk of being rejected. He didn't want to destroy their friendship. "Why don't you tell me that you like me?"
"A girl should never initiate!" Ino retorted. "That's the basic rule of liking someone!"
"You showed your feelings towards Sasuke; your rivalry with Sakura and all." Shikamaru stated and made Ino shut up. "Why don't you show your feelings towards me?"
Ino was silent for a long moment. "Well," she spoke at last. "I did show. A lot, if you haven't notice."
Shikamaru recalled her annoying demands and temperamental temper, mostly directed to him whenever, wherever, all the time and thought whether it was actually the way Ino meant about she showing her feelings to him.
"Then after that, we always spent time together, grew closer than ever that my feelings for you started to show. But of course I tried not to make it…obvious."
"When I saw you alone, smoking while watching the clouds on the day Asuma-sensei was buried," Ino brought back the image of the event to his eyes, to the very first moment they kissed. "I couldn't help myself from holding my feelings towards you anymore, Shikamaru. At that time, you looked so…so pitiful, so fragile, so broken, so…soulless that I know that I have to help you in any way I can to bring you back to life again. It broke my heart seeing you like that; smoking the cigarettes Asuma-sensei left, blaming yourself for his death, distracted, not being the laid-back, the lazy ass Nara Shikamaru…" Ino sighed as she hugged him from the back slowly, breathing to his neck. "I was afraid you will carry on acting like that, became a heavy smoker like sensei himself, so I did the first thing that I could think of at that time to make you stop, make you quit…by transforming myself to be your cigarette." Shikamaru stroked her arm lightly, Ino smiled at his gestures. "Yes, I kissed you to make you quit, out of concern, and yes, I kissed you because I cared for your health. But actually, it was more than that." Ino halted in her speech, her fingers seeking his. "I kissed you out of my burning feelings towards you. I kissed you because I love you."
Shikamaru turned his body around to face her and smiled warmly. He lifted his big palm and caressed her cheek, so tender, so lightly, so lovingly that made Ino closed her eyes and leaned her face closer to return his gestures. For a moment, they just expressed their affections towards each other like that, mutedly, silently, no words unspoken.
A girl should never initiate. That made Shikamaru the one to bring their relationship up to the next level.
"I like you and you like me- No, scratch that," he began. "We love each other. And that makes us a couple now, right?"
Ino threw her hands over his shoulders. "Yeah."
"Then how about sealing our new relationship with a kiss?"
"Gladly."
They kissed, for the nth time since the first one, but this time, their kiss meant that the deal now was over. No more Ino being Shikamaru's cigarette. But that didn't mean that Ino's burning kisses just end there. She will continue giving him those, as much as he wanted, no limit, definitely infinite.
Because of in return, Shikamaru gave her his burning love so greatly than she ever imagined.
"Shikamaru?"
"Hmm?"
"Love me."
So he did.
Later on, as they lay in bed after their bath, Shikamaru was just in his boxers and Ino wearing his shirt, a perturbed question came out of Shikamaru's mouth.
"Um, Ino…" He drew his usual lazy tone. His fingers were playing with the ends of her hair. "While we were doing…um…that…I mean, when we…make love…we didn't use any protection, did we?"
Ino smiled warmly. "No, we didn't."
Shikamaru sighed in defeat. "Troublesome. I seriously forgot to think about the later consequences. What if you…?"
"Don't worry. True, we didn't use any protection but I did. I'm on pill. All the time."
Shikamaru's eyes grew wide. "Really? But I heard that taking pills is not that good for health…"
"But at least one of us has to take precautions before anything unwanted happen, right?"
"Yeah… I guess you're right."
Ino smiled, snuggling even closer to Shikamaru's body, inhaling his musky scent she missed so much while she was away. Her fingers traced the shape of his bare chest, memorizing its lines, replacing the memory she had back then. Shikamaru now was different from the last time she saw him; he was much taller and well-built. She turned her head to kiss his shoulder blade, unwrapped her burning feelings towards him even more, whilst Shikamaru kissed the crown of her forehead lightly, gently, so lovingly in return.
"By the way, how'd you find me here, Ino?"
Ino chuckled, tightening her grip on the guy beside her; her childhood friend, her best friend, her boyfriend, her lover. "Of course my mom told me, baaka…"
"Really?" Shikamaru sounded amused.
"Yeah." Ino glanced up and saw his smirking face. "I mentioned that I was going to visit you. She told me that you had moved out of your parents' house and gave me your new address." Ino slid up further and met his gaze. Confidently, she pointed at the window, the one she used to sneak into his bedroom, the one she sat on earlier. "You left the window opened on purpose, right?"
Shikamaru chuckled at the guessing.
"Yeah." He admitted.
"It was very thoughtful of you." Ino teased.
"Well, I know that you're going to check up on me as soon as you return and I was right."
"Genius." Ino held out her hand. "Now where's my key?"
"I'll give you later." Shikamaru paused, remembering something. "Oh, wait. I have something I want to give you for such a long, long time." He got up from bed and searched for his chuunin vest on the floor. He pulled something out, something that looked like a cube, a small cube. He hopped back to rest beside Ino, handing her the thing.
"Happy belated birthday. Sorry it's small."
Surprised, Ino took the cube, which happened to be a small velvet box. She opened the lid and gasped.
What lie inside the box was the most beautiful diamond ring she had ever seen, though the design was quite simple to her taste.
"Like it?" Shikamaru inquired, analyzing her expression. "I don't know what else to give you. And I picked it out myself. I hope it suits yo-"
"Oh, Shikamaru!" Ino launched herself at him. "I like it! I love it! Thank you so much!"
"Really?" He asked amusedly. "You do?"
"Of course! Oh, my god! This is the most beautiful ring I've ever seen!" Ino threw him a look. "Hey, are you…proposing?"
Shikamaru arched his brows. "Proposing? No. It's just…a birthday present."
"Oh."
"But if you wear that ring, I'll take it as a symbol that you are mine."
"I'm your girlfriend now. Doesn't that fact means I'm yours?"
"Yes. But…people need proof."
Ino laughed and gave the box to Shikamaru, then held out her left hand. He got the message and took the ring from its box and slipped it into Ino's ring finger.
"Thank you. Sorry, no present for you."
Seizing her chin and held her face between his fingers, Shikamaru smiled and lowered his lips, attempting to taste her burning kiss that got him so addicted all this time and never grew tired of, murmuring,
"It's okay. I got you. That's enough for me."
OWARI
Warggh!!! Cheesy! Cheesy! Cheesy! (dies from cheesiness)
This story end for real this time. As I said before, this story was only a short one. Sorry, the ending's not perfect but what more could you ask for? They confessed their love to each other and became a couple and let's just say that we all know what will happen later (typical happy ending).
Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I really, really appreciate your thoughts and supports! (TT) Kudos
ShikaIno for life!