I don't own Naruto…T-T

A plus. A small pink plus. The thing that would change her life forever. The platinum blonde haired teen looked down at the test she held in horror. The cursed plus meant only one thing. She was pregnant…and the father was no where around.

The eighteen year old sighed. What was she going to do? Her parents were going to kill her, try to get her to get rid of her child. They would think she was to young to be a mom, unable to do it alone. The father of her child, her teammate Shikamaru, had left Konoha to become an ambassador to Suna so he could be closer to his girlfriend of 2 years and fiancé of 1, Temari.

She already knew how this had happened. At his farewell party, the two of them had gotten drunk. While under the influence, she had told him her feelings. She had loved him since before the academy. She didn't remember what had happen next, but had woken up the next morning in his bed and in his arms, neither of them dressed. Their clothes had been thrown around the room. They both agree to never speak of it again, even though she would hold it in her heart forever… even if she didn't remember what happen.

She would have tried to get him to stay, but he didn't love her. He was in love with Temari. Always had been, ever since that Chunnin Exam… she should know, she knew him better than anyone. Not that he let her know it… but she knew.

She wondered wow her parents were going to react… or how she should tell them…

"WHAT!"

Ino sighed, and rubbed her temple. She should have known her parents were going to act like this. "I'm pregnant," she told them again, her voice wary.

She had decided to go ahead and tell them the news, go ahead and get it over with. As she had predicted, they weren't pleased. They were more than not pleased, that was an understatement. They were pissed.

"What were you thinking Ino?" her father demanded. "No, let me guess. You weren't thinking at all, is that right?" He didn't even wait for an answer, just began pacing. "I thought we raised you better than this. You're only eighteen, yet you go and get yourself knocked up? Do you even know who the father is?" "Of course I do," she told him, speaking quickly before he could start yelling again. "Well?" he demanded again, "Who is the son of a bitch? Run off and leave you alone when he found out you're carrying his bastard?"

She looked up at him. "No, as a matter of fact, he doesn't know. He's also not going to know." He looked at her, a small smile on his suddenly pleased face. "At leased you have some sense, getting rid of it before it becomes a problem." Now it was her turn to look angry. "And who said I was getting rid of it? It's my child and my choice. I'm raising it." His smile vanished and he rose up out of his seat. She joined him and the two platinum blondes began glared at each other, each refusing to back down. Her mother just looked between the two of their faces, scared for what was about to happen. She hadn't said a word since her daughter had told them the news and her husband had yelled out.

"Well if that's how you feel about it," Inoichi said, pointing to the door, "You can get the hell out of my house. I never want to see you or your shame in my house again." Without a word or a look back, the blonde girl left, running out of the house.

Yamanaka Suzuki watched her daughter run out of the house, tears coming to her eyes. Her baby was leaving, kicked out by her husband. Turning to the man, she found she had nothing to say. So with nothing else to do, she ran upstairs. She already knew he wouldn't let her go after their child.

Nara Shikaku was drunk and he knew it. He had stayed at the bar longer than usual to avoid his troublesome wife. The woman had been even more troublesome since their son, Shikamaru, had went to live in Suna. So, as of late, he had been trying to avoid her so as not to have to deal with her mood swings. He was pretty sure it had something to do with the fact that she no longer had someone to baby…

As he was walking out of the establishment, he noticed someone he knew at the bar. His godchild, Yamanaka Ino. She sat hunched over, a glass of water in her hands. She looked depressed and her eyes were tinged red, as if she had been crying. Knowing it would keep him even longer from a nagging he knew would come soon after he got home from his wife about being out so late, he went and sat down next to her. "Something wrong kid?" he asked, figuring he might as well act like a godfather for once and find out what was wrong. He saw her glance over at him and nod. "Yeah," she said, "You could say that Uncle Shikaku." He kept silent, knowing she would tell him when she was ready.

She stayed silent for a little while before saying at last, "I'm pregnant. Daddy kicked me out of the house." He looked at her in shocked surprise, not only because she had just told him she was pregnant. It was the fact that her father, one of his best friends and a man he had knew since childhood, would kick her out of the house when he loved her more than anything else in the world. It was hard for him to comprehend. He looked away from her and joined her in staring at the wall.

"Well," he said at last, "I guess that does count as something wrong." They continued to stare at the wall in silence, before finally, "Do you have a place to stay?" She shook her head. "Any money or someone you can go to for help?" Again, she shook her head no. he sighed.

"Troublesome," he muttered, wishing he had stayed out of it after all. He figured it was his duty as godfather. "Alright, come on," he told her, motioning to the door. "You can stay with Yoshino and me." She looked over at him and shook her head. "No thanks Uncle Shikaku. I don't want to be a bother to anyone, especially not you and Aunt Yoshino. I can take care of myself," she told him. He sighed and muttered 'troublesome' again. "It won't be a bother kid. Besides, if you do, it'll save me a headache. Yoshino won't yell at me for leaving you here alone. So can you do it for me? Please? At least for the night."

She looked over at him and smiled faintly. "Alright Uncle," she said. Getting up, she followed him out the door and to his home. When they walked in, his wife was waiting for him so she could yell. When he walked in, she open her mouth, although it was quickly closed again when she caught sight of Ino. After explaining what happen, she immediately insisted that the girl was staying with them, and settled her in a guest room.

After she was asleep, Yoshino turned to him and said, "Nara Shikaku, that girl is moving in with us. Tomorrow, we are marching down to her house and getting her stuff, I don't care what anyone, including her, says. She's staying. I don't want her on the streets, I want her here were I know she's safe. Is that clear?" he nodded. "Good."

'Troublesome,' he thought as she walked off. Although it might get her off his back…

Nara Shikamaru stared out over the dunes, his mind only on one person. He had hoped that by leaving Konoha, he could finally move on. Marry his long time girlfriend, start a family, and get over her. But if anything, the move caused him to think about her even more.

In his eyes, she was perfect. Perfect hair, perfect skin, perfect lips, perfect figure, perfect everything… and to top it off, she knew him almost as well as he did himself, maybe better. He loved her. Although it would never amount to anything. She would never see him as any more than a friend, a teammate, or as a brother. Never as a lover, or boyfriend, or husband… it wasn't him she loved. It was always Sasuke, or after he left, Sai, or Neji, or any of the others she had dated. Just never him.

So he had moved on, finally asking the sand ninja out. A year long relationship had followed and then an engagement. He felt he could be happy with her, if not learn to love her. She certainly loved him. They were a lot alike, minus the fact that he found everything to troublesome. Many would say they were perfect for each other, even if he didn't agree…

He just couldn't quit thinking of her. Maybe he had made a mistake in coming here. The Hokage had tried to talk him out of it, and had only agreed because he had enlisted Naruto to help his convince her and promised to come back if it didn't work out. Suna had been overjoyed in receiving him into their forces, even if he was still technically a Konoha shinobi.

He sighed and went back to watching the dunes. It was his new pastime since their were hardly ever clouds in the desert. It was to troublesome to think about all this. Looking over the shifting sands, he felt himself once again start to drift into memories of her.

Not being sure when he had began to have feelings for her, he was pretty sure it had been after she had stood up for Chouji when some older kids had began to pick on him and say the Akimichi was fat. Instead of agreeing with them like he expected, she had told them to shut up and go away. Because of the fact that their dads were all best friends, Shikamaru, Chouji, and Ino had had to hang out with each other a lot before the academy. Just the three of them, while the dads talked over the barbeque, or played cards, or drank, or whatever. On such occasions, the three of them would usually just sit side by side in comfortable silence. The trio didn't talk very much, but they seemed to enjoy each other's company. All of them were similar in the fact that they didn't feel they had to do anything in order to be happy. They just... sat and thought about things, talking rarely (especially Shikamaru). When they had started the academy, they'd drifted apart. Ino was popular and she stayed with the popular crowd. She talked loudly, made fun of other people, and started hanging out with her new friend Sakura. She became a fangirl for the Uchiha and started on a "diet" because she was "to fat", in short a pain to be around. The three had hardly spoken. Then they had been stuck on the same Gennin team. Slowly, oh so slowly, they had came back together as friends and he realized the crush he had on her was more than just a crush.

He could still remember his last night in the village. The Rookie 11 had thrown him a farewell party and to make everyone happy, he had gone and pretended to enjoy himself for their sake. He had even went as far as to pretend to get drunk. She had come up to him and told him she had loved him, it had caused his heart to skip a beat, but that had quickly passed. After all, she was actually drunk, not pretending like he was. He had wiped it off, thinking she wasn't actually serious and that it was just the alcohol. But then, she had began kissing him.

He had tried to get her to quit, before she did something she regretted. But she was to far gone. After a while, he got caught up in it, the combination of her smell and kisses… it had gone to far. The two had ended up sleeping with each other… Their bodies had melted together as they had made love in a stream of gasps, moans, and muffled kisses. Their rhythm had deepened until they had both reached their peak, afterwards collapsing into each others' arms and falling asleep… or at least she had. He had stayed up later and smelled her hair.

The next morning, she hadn't remembered a thing. He pretended he hadn't either, although in actuality he remembered everything in crystal clarity. They'd agreed to never speak of it again, although it seemed he was always thinking of the night. It had been the most wonderful of his life, to be able to be with the woman he loved. The sad part being, he was going to leave the next day and he knew he wouldn't come back. It had nearly broke his heart more than it already was to have to say goodbye.

Tearing himself from thought and memory that should of never happen, he got up and started walking to the apartment he shared with Temari. His only thought: "Troublesome."

Ino looked around her new home. It had been six months since she had been forcefully moved into the Nara household. They'd given her the small, two bedroom cottage behind the main compound. It was right next to the woods that housed the deer the Nara clan was famous for keeping and she had began looking after them with Shikaku as a way to try and help him out for housing her. Their wasn't many ways she could pay them back. At eight months pregnant, she was forbidden to go on missions and wasn't allowed to help that much at the hospital on Hokage's orders. It was said to be to stressful and she would be on her feet to much.

She was looking forward to being a mom and her hosts were looking forward to being "grandparents." She hadn't told them who the father was, that he was their son, but they considered her their daughter in all but blood. As such, the child she carried was their grandchild.

According to the doctor, the Hokage herself, it was going to be a boy. The Hokage was the only one she had shared the secret of the father's identity with, although no one but them knew it. Everyone wouldn't quit asking anyways.

Being at the Nara Compound had it's good sides as well as it's negative. Yoshino was always fussing over her, which was nice, but she was always reminded of Shikamaru and the fact that it was his family. Shikaku was attentive to her, but she knew it was because his wife made him. They didn't want her do anything to help out, but she did anyway. She helped cook and clean, went and dragged Shikaku out of the bar when he was there late, and helped any small way she could. She felt she had to repay them for the kindness they showed her.

The morning after she had first come, they had put her in the cottage and told her it was hers. They had furnished the rooms and got her stuff for the baby when it came closer for it to be born. They helped her get her personal things from her parent's house and helped her to get on maternity leave from missions.

Flashback

BANG, BANG!

The door of the Yamanaka house was opened quickly by Inoichi to reveal his old teammate, who looked like he had just woke up as usual, and his wife, who was angry.

"Yoshino, Shikaku, is something wrong?" he was able to ask before Yoshino barged past him and up the stairs onto the second floor. The blonde mind ninja watched her go before turning back to Shikaku. "Am I missing something?" he asked curiously. The pineapple haired, scar faced shadow nin nodded. "Yep. She's been on the warpath since last night when I brought in Ino, who told us that you kicked her out. Now she's convinced the girl's moving in with us. We're here to get her stuff since she left with only the clothes on her back."

Before the now angry blonde could say anything, they saw Yoshino on her way back down with a large suitcase in hand and a bag over her shoulder. When she got down, she threw the bag to Shikaku and walked out without a word to Inoichi. Shikaku shrugged and followed her out of the house.

End Flashback

She was happy. All of her friends were happy and supportive, even if they wondered who the father was, and she couldn't ask for anything more. She had her son to look forward to…

That was, until the invitation came. It had come on a Saturday, just after she had gotten off one of the rare shifts she had at the hospital. It had been simple and addressed to her. She supposed the Nara's had also gotten one. One a thick card of white paper, it had read in spidery golden writing:

Dear Ms. Yamanaka,

You are invited to the wedding of Nara Shikamaru and Sabaku no Temari. It will be held in 6 months time in Konohagakure no Soto, on January 24 at 11:00 am on top of the Hokage's Building. It is greatly hoped by the bride and groom that you are able to attend.

Sincerely,

Nara Shikamaru and Sabaku no Temari

Six months. The man she loved and who's child she carried would be getting married in six months and since it was in Konoha, she would have to attend. There was no way around it. She sighed. "Troublesome," she muttered.

Shooting pains woke her up, centering it her womb. She had felt something like this before, during Braxton-Hicks contractions. But this was different. This time, she knew she was really in labor. She felt the contractions every few minutes and so knew her time was soon. She quickly got up and dressed as fast as she could. Hurrying across the yard, she had to stop as another contraction hit. Grimacing, she tried to fight through the pain. She got to the back door of the main house as soon as she got their and called out, "Uncle Shikaku, Aunt Yoshino! It's time!" she would have said more, but another contraction came. They were coming faster than before.

She heard hurried footsteps, but didn't look up from her spot on the floor. She had hunched down during the last contraction to try and get it to hurt less. She felt arms go around her and pick her up. Looking up, she saw her Godfather was holding her, her Godmother beside him. Worried and happy looks were in their eyes.

The next few hours were a blur to her. She barely remembered arriving at the hospital, signing in, the room they put her in, or the long hours she had to wait before she was dilated enough to give birth. Her next clear memories were of Tsunade telling her to push, pain, her godparents clasping her hands and urging her to keep going, and finally, her son being placed in her arms. The sight of him made her want to cry.

He was an exact copy of his father. From his blackish-brown hair to the expression on his face. His features were Shikamaru's. When he was handed to her, he wasn't crying and his light blue-green eyes, just like her's, were already open. She didn't look at her godparents, the new grandparents of her son. She knew they were both looking at the two of them, probably wanting an explanation. Tears formed in her eyes as she looked at her son. The baby who looked just like his father, the man she loved but who was engaged to someone who was not her.

"Ino…" she heard Yoshino say, "Ino, sweetie, are you okay?" The blonde nodded, not taking her eyes from her new child. "Can…Can we hold him?" she heard. Reluctantly, she nodded, and held the child up. The Nara woman took him from her and began cooing at him, already in love with him… just as she was. Shikaku looked on and smiled, his mind bringing forward memories of when Shikamaru was born…

"Do you have a name yet?" they all heard Tsunade ask. The blonde Hokage sounded reluctant, as if she didn't want to interrupt the family moment. "Yes," Ino told her. "Himura. Yamanaka Himura." She didn't notice the sad look that flashed between the new grandparents. She was to busy looking at her new baby boy and falling in love.

Shikamaru walked around Konoha for the first time in nearly year. He and Temari had come back earlier than planned to let her get to know his family and for them to work on planning the wedding. Temari was currently reporting to the Hokage wished from her brother, the Kazekage. He was suppose to go with her, but he had slipped away. He had some things he wanted to do. Top of which was to find Chouji, whom he missed, and the rest of the Rookie 11. He had never known how much he would miss them when he had first left. He also wanted to see his parents and most importantly, Ino. He had nearly gone out of his mind with missing the blonde.

Currently, he was walking through the streets hoping to run into someone. His wish was soon granted. Outside of a BBQ joint the old Gennin team had used to frequent, he ran into Chouji, who was leaving.

"Shikamaru!" the large man said happily. "It's been to long, I didn't know you were back!" The redhead looked like he wanted to hug him. "Yeah," the lazy genius said, "Temari and I came early to get stuff set up." The two started walking, easily falling into their old routine. "So, how's everything around here?" he wanted to know.

Chouji smiled. "Everything and everyone's fine," he said, "Naruto and Hinata started dating a few months ago, and Sakura finally gave Lee a chance. Those two are engaged. Neji broke it off with that girl the Hyuuga's wanted him to marry and eloped with Tenten. They're both happy, although the clans pissed. Ino had a baby. Kiba and Shino finally admitted they're gay-" He was about to say more, but was cut off by Shikamaru yelling, "WHAT?" Chouji sighed. "Yeah, it came as a surprise to us all. We had no idea they were gay until they just started making out in public. They've been secretly dating for years. Hinata knew, but that's about it." "No, not that," Shikamaru said, "What did you say about Ino?"

"Oh… she had a baby. He's a cute little sucker to! About 3 months ago, born August 3rd." He looked at his best friend, waiting for him to start laughing and tell him he was just joking. No laughing ever came. His face was perfectly serious. It was real. Ino had a child. She was the mother of a child not his own. All of a sudden, he felt like a ton of bricks had just hit him hard and his heart felt like it had been torn into a million pieces that can never be put back together no matter how much he tried.

"Is she married?" he heard himself ask, his voice betraying none of the hurt he felt. Hurt that he had no right to feel. "No," came Chouji's answer. Shikamaru released a breath he wasn't even aware that he had been holding. "She wouldn't even tell us who the father was. We had to figure it out for ourselves, although it wasn't that hard once we saw him. He looks just like his father." Shikamaru nodded, already knowing he was gonna go see her even though he had forbidden himself from doing so. He was still trying to fall out of love with her. If he saw her, it would ruin what little progress he had made.

The two friends walked around talking for another hour before Shikamaru excused himself. He had a blonde to find.

While walking, he'd forgotten to ask two very important questions. 'Who was the father of Ino's son?' and 'Where was Ino?'

With no were else he could think of, he headed toward his parent's house.

Yoshino cooed at her 3 month old grandson. He was just like his father, even this early. He was just as lazy, just as smart, had the same blackish-brown hair that would go in a ponytail when he was older, and she was sure the first word out of his mouth when he got around to talking was going to be 'Troublesome'. Lord knows they needed another Shikamaru… but he was his father's boy through and through.

A knock on the front door tore her from her comparisons of the two males. She lay the baby down on his stomach in the bed and went to see who it was. If it was her guess, she was going to say Chouji. He stopped by at least once a week to check on the mother and child. He was the child's Godfather after all.

When she opened the door, already ready to great Chouji, the person it truly was caught her by surprise. It was her son. "Shikamaru?" she asked softly. He smiled and nodded. She rushed forward and embraced him…then she hit him. "Ow! Kaa-san, what was that for?" "That, my lazy son, is for not writing in over a year!" she yelled at him, a smile on her face. They embraced again, and she led him into the living room.

"So how have you been?" she asked. "Good," he answered and began telling her some of the things he had been doing. After awhile, he was also going to ask about Ino, but was interrupted by a cry. Not knowing what it was, the shadow nin jerked up with a shinobi's reflexes, a kunai already in his hand. Yoshino quickly jumped up and ran from the room. He could hear laughter… she was laughing! Guess it wasn't something bad after all.

From the room she had run into, he could here cooing. Confused, he walked toward the door his mother had run through. He found her bending over a bassinet set against the wall in his parent's room. She gently picked the child up. Said child was awake and wrapped in a white blanket that covered him from head to toe, leaving only part of his face peeking out. Shikamaru couldn't see any distinguishing features on him from the view he had of the kid, which wasn't much. "Who's this mom?" he asked, "You and dad have another kid while I was away or something?" he joked.

His mother rounded on him and glared, the blanket wrapped child held to her chest. "I'm babysitting, you idiot!" she yelled, "And his mother should be back soon, so if you'll excuse me, I have to get his stuff together." He nodded as she walked off.

Ino ran through the streets, trying to weave between people. She was late. She had promised Yoshino she would be back at 1:00, but she had a patient come in late that she had to take care of. But she was nearly there. The house was in sight.

When she finally got there, she began knocking quickly. The door was opened up just as quickly, although not by Yoshino as she expected. In front of her was the father of her child, a man she didn't expect to see until his wedding in two months.

"Ino," she heard him say in confusion, but she didn't acknowledge him. All she could do was stare in shock, the cool November winds blowing small portions of her hair around her face. "Shikamaru," she whispered in way of answer. What was he doing here? He wasn't suppose to come back until January. Just seeing him made her heart yearn for him, him as a person and his body.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her. The flustered blonde muttered under her breath something he didn't catch before saying, "I'm here to pick up my son. Your mom was keeping him for me." "Oh…Ok," he said, sounding vaguely disappointed. Why would he? Did he think she had come to see him?

He stepped out of her way as she rushed into the house to claim her child.

"Shikamaru, could you answer the door please?" he heard his mother call. "Troublesome," he muttered before calling louder, "Sure thing!" He walked toward the door and opened it to find the girl he dreamed about most nights. "Ino," he said in confusion, wondering why she was there. She couldn't have already heard he was back. His conversation with Chouji came back to mind, about her now being a mom. She didn't have a kid with her, nor did she look like she had given birth to one in the last few months. Could his old friend have been wrong?

"Shikamaru," he heard her say faintly. He watched her hair float around her face in the slight breeze. "What are you doing here?" he asked her. The flustered blonde muttered under her breath something he didn't catch before saying, "I'm here to pick up my son. Your mom was keeping him for me." The kid his mom was watching was her son? From what he had seen of him, the two looked nothing alike! "Oh…Ok," he said, vaguely disappointed. He had hoped she was here to see him.

Moving out of the way, he let her in. As she passed, her hair brushed into his face and he caught a whiff of her sent. It was all he could do not to breath deeply. She was going slowly until they both heard a cry.

He watched her navigate into the kitchen, seemingly already knowing were the two were, and lock onto her son. She quickly scooped him out of his mother's arms and began rocking him gently. He caught a few words of what she whispered to him. Speaking gently, she whispered to him, "My little man… it's ok, mommy's here. It's ok…" For some reason, the scene moved him.

"So Chouji was right, you did have a kid." She looked over her shoulder at him, still rocking her son. The child was starting to fall asleep. "Yeah, three months ago." "What's his name?" She looked away from him. "Himura. Yamanaka Himura." No trace of the father's name. "Who's his father?" She didn't answer.

"No one," she said at last, "And it doesn't matter anyway. He's not around and it's as simple as that."

With that, she walked out. She headed towards the back door, which confused him, but he didn't question the matter. He wanted to run after her and find out what she was hiding, but he knew she wouldn't tell him no matter how much he asked.

Ino looked around her small house and sighed. It was nearly time for Christmas day. She would most likely be spending it alone. It was her family's tradition to spend the holiday with the Akimichi clan or the Nara clan. But her father didn't want to see her, and currently, she was avoiding Shikamaru. Ever since that first day he had shown up, he had come close to finding out the identity of her son's father twice. Hence the avoiding. She also didn't want to see him with Temari, who was practically glued to his side.

She had began avoiding using Yoshino as a babysitter if she knew Shikamaru or Temari were going to be there that day. This resulted in an angry Yoshino since they were there most days and she didn't get to spend enough time with her grandson, or at least in her opinion. She had also asked all her friends not to answer questions on the mystery from either of the two avoided.

Currently, she was getting ready for a play date between Himura and Asuna, Asuma and Kurenai's daughter. Not that much playing would be going on between the two less than one year olds. Mainly they would sleep and she and Kurenai, who she had become closer with, would talk about how cute their kids were.

The 10 month old girl loved the Yamanaka infant. That's why the frequent play dates and the fact that Kurenai watched Himura so often worked out so well.

After wrapping her son up tight again the December cold in a blue blanket, she grabbed her diaper bag and headed towards the door. The streets of Konoha were bustling with shoppers and holiday cheer. It reminded her again of the Christmas problem…maybe she could spend the holiday at Kurenai's… she'd have to remember to ask when she got there…

When she arrived at the Genjutsu mistress's apartment, she knocked and began fussing with her son's coverings. She heard the door open and she looked up to see her fellow single mom. Smiling, the older woman invited her in, the door closing behind her.

"Shika, why did we have to come here?" the blonde sand ninja wined. It seemed she was always wining. "Because," he told her with a sigh and a muttering of, "Troublesome blonde." "Kurenai-sensei had Asuma's kid while I was away and I still haven't gotten a chance to see it. It won't take long, so quit being Troublesome." She huffed at the word 'Troublesome', but fell silent.

KNOCK, KNOCK!

There was no answer. "No ones home, so let's just go and come back another time," Temari complained. He ignored her and knocked again. This time, he could hear footsteps coming toward them from the other side of the door. It was soon opened by Kurenai, who gasped when she saw them.

"Shikamaru!" she exclaimed, excitement in her voice. She had heard he was back from Ino. She quickly ushered them in. "It's great to see you," she told him, pulling him into a hug. That surprised him. "I suppose you're here to see Asuna?" she asked. He nodded and she smiled knowingly.

Heading towards the hall, she called over her shoulder, "She's taking a nap right now, but you can see her it you're quiet. Her rooms this way." They follower her to the second bedroom of her small apartment, which had been converted into a nursery. Kurenai was standing by a crib that was in the corner. She motioned for them to be quiet, but come over and look.

Temari chose to stay away, but Shikamaru walked over next to her and looked into the crib. The sight that met his eyes made him seize up and gave him a hard time breathing. Two infants were sleeping side by side, clutching onto one anther. The bigger one was a girl, Asuna, who looked just like her father except having her mother's eyes and hair color. The smaller was a boy…who looked just like himself.

"Aren't they cute?" Kurenai asked him. He nodded, barely able to make his head move. Temari noticed him stiffen up and walked over to see what was the matter. The sight made her gasp. "Who's the other kid?" she asked faintly, voicing his thoughts. Kurenai glanced at them. "That's Himura. I'm watching him for Ino. She was here earlier because the kids had a play date, but she got called to the hospital. I agreed to watch him for her until she got back."

So that's why she would never tell him who the father was. The reason was because her child's father… was him. He had a son. He had always wanted children… especially with the platinum blonde he used to call his teammate. His mind often drifted, filling with images of all the things he had wanted to do with them when he finally got around to having them. Teaching them the shadow jutsu's, throwing kunai, making friends, cloud-watching… But this information was shocking, even to him. That night they had been together…she had gotten pregnant. She had had to go through it all alone. It was all his fault.

They heard a knock on the door and Kurenai went to open it, excusing herself before she exited the room. With her gone, he gently picked the slumbering baby up. He opened his eyes slightly at the contact, staring at them with sea green eyes… Ino's eyes. The pineapple haired ninja looked down at him, the creation that was half himself, he held against his chest. He didn't know what his expression was, but he was sure it was a smile. He didn't know how, but he already knew he was in love with the child he had just met.

He heard a gasp of shock behind him, but could also detect fear in it. He turned to see the woman he often thought about. "Ino…" he whispered, not wanting to take his eye from her or their child. Her eyes scanned him and the infant, horror crossing into her eyes. "What are you doing?" she whispered, almost running forward and snatching the baby from him. He didn't want to let him go, but he did. His arms felt empty without him there. They stared at each other, questions flashing back and forth between their eyes.

"Can someone please tell me what's doing on?" Temari asked loudly. He heard himself say, "Quiet simply, Ino gave birth to my son and never told me." The light haired blonde turned away and ran out of the nursery and fled the apartment, her son clutched to her chest. They watched her go, Temari's mouth wide. She was still shocked about the news she had just received.

After a while, they left. Neither said a word, both having other things on their minds. Shikamaru, wandering about his newly found son, Temari, wandering how it had happen it the first place. They returned to their lodgings in silence.

Ino paced around her room, trying to calm herself. He knew. That she had kept it from him. That they had a son. What was she going to do now? Deny it? It wasn't exactly hard to tell that the child was his son. The two looked exactly alike!

Shikamaru paced around his parent's living room. After an hour of silence with Temari, he had got fed up and had fled to the house of his childhood. His mother had wanted to know what was wrong. When he told her, he had expected her to be shocked. Instead, she had just looked at him in surprise and amusement and asked, "Shikamaru, what kind of genius are you? You're just now figuring it out?"

"You knew?" he demanded. She smiled and nodded. "Since the day the kid was born. I was the third to hold him you know!" she told him proudly. He sighed and finally voiced his doubts. "Is he really my son though? Are you sure? I mean..." Shikamaru asked quickly, unknowing that he was rambling. His mind racing to much for him to concentrate. Yoshino chuckled, "Or course he's YOUR son, Shika-kun. The little cutie looks and acts just like you... lazy to the core, AND he barely cries..."

She was interrupted by a frantic knock on the back door. She excused herself and went to open it, to find Ino. "Yoshino, I need to talk to you," she told her hurriedly. "Shikamaru found out about Mura-chan, and now I don't know what to do!" Yoshino invited the scared blonde inside and directed her to the living room. She entered first and gasped. The very person she wanted to avoid was sitting on a chair in the corner with his face in his hands.

He looked up at her gasp. They both mirrored the same look of shock at seeing the other. They both turned to Yoshino, who spoke to both of them. "You two need to talk and you're not leaving here until you do. Go on out into the garden and settle this." They both looked like they were about to argue, but she silenced them with a glare and a pointed finger. "Go."

Silently, they did as she directed. Once in the garden, they faced each other and prepared for the worst.

"Why didn't you tell me?" The question hung in the air and the blonde struggled to find the words to answer. Finally, "You were away. You and Temari were engaged and I didn't want to ruin that for you. You were happy and I didn't think you would appreciate me interrupting your live with the news that I was pregnant with your kid. I thought it was for the best."

He considered her for a minute. "Did you ever consider," he asked her, "that I would have been a lot happier with you than with Temari?" She didn't say anything or meet his gaze. "Why would you be happier with me?" she asked him, "You love Temari." She was still looking away.

She didn't see him walk up beside her. She didn't know he was there until he gently grabbed her and pushed her against a nearby tree. "No Ino," she heard him say, his mouth only inches from her face. "I love you." Those three simple little words seemed to make her heart lift. She slowly looked toward his close face. When she did, he leaned down the last of the way and pressed his lips to hers.

Shikamaru couldn't believe what he was hearing. She thought he was in love with Temari? She had never noticed? "No Ino," he told her, hugging her like he always dreamed of. "I love you." He'd told her! Deciding to take a chance, he leaned down and caught her lips in a gently kiss. A kiss he wanted so much to be more. His tongue slid across hers, slowly at first, hesitant to deepen the kiss, but then her arms went around his neck. She pressed herself against him, her stomach molded to his, her breasts against his chest. Pushing her harder against the tree they leaned on, he heard himself moan into the kiss… after all, how many times had he imagined himself doing this exact same thing with her?

He didn't know how long they stayed like that, maybe hours maybe minutes, but it ended to soon for him. Suddenly, she pushed him away. Gasping for breath, she stared at him as if he were a stranger. "What were you doing?" she yelled at him. "You're engaged!" Oh yeah… so? He wanted to ask her. "Ino…" he started to say, but didn't get far. Before he could say another word, she ran off. He could see tears trying to form in her eyes. He was sure he had just ruined whatever chance he had with her.

It was January 24th, the day of the wedding. She hadn't seen him since the incident in the garden. She'd end up spending Christmas alone at her house with her son. Although Naruto had shown up having no one to spend the holiday with, as well as Chouji, who had stopped by for a little while. It had gladdened her slightly to see the two. They'd been very supportive to her during her pregnancy.

The day was clear and sunny. A perfect day for a wedding in her opinion, even if she wasn't going. It would be to weird and to hard for her to see the man she loved marry someone else.

Someone knocked on her door, interrupting her thoughts. She went and opened it to see a breathless Shikamaru, dressed in his wedding clothes. "Shikamaru!" she said in surprise and embarrassment. She hadn't though she would see, nor did she want to, him to today.

"What are you doing here?" she began to ask, but was cut off by him kissing her. She quickly pushed him off before yelling, "Nara Shikamaru, what the hell do you thing you're doing? You're suppose to be getting married in 20 minutes!" He smiled at her, shook his head, and said, "I couldn't do it Ino. I just couldn't do it. I love you to much."

One Hour Earlier: Top of Hokage's Building

Shikamaru looked out over the village of his birth. In exactly one hour, he would be a married man…although not to the woman he wanted. Instead, he was settling for someone he thought of as a friend more than a wife.

"Shikamaru," he heard someone say behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw his sandy haired fiancé. "Temari, what is it?" he asked her. She simply said one word. "Go." "What?" he asked, confusion in his voice. She walked over beside him and looked out over the village before beginning to speak.

"Shikamaru, you don't love me. You could never be happy with me. It's been showing itself to me ever since you found out about your son, so don't deny it." He looked at her shocked. This was the first time she'd ever mentioned his and Ino's child, preferring to avoid the subject. "But Temari," he began before she cut him off. "No Shikamaru, no buts. I love you yes, and I want to marry you. But I want to marry you only if you wanted to marry me as well and you obviously don't. You're to much in love with her. So go."

He looked at her one last minute before doing something a lazy ninja like him would never do. He ran.

Now, he was at her house, telling her he loved her, and waiting for an answer.

She turned away from him so that he couldn't see her face, although he could tell she was crying. Tears of happiness or sadness, he didn't know. "Ino?" he asked, his voice unsure. She slowly turned around and he nearly sighed with relief. While there were tears in her eyes, there was a large smile on her face.

"Shikamaru, I love you to."

Yeah… I know it stinks… it's my first time trying something like this and I'm not quiet sure how it turned out. I'll be grateful for reviews… I've been a fan of the ShikaIno pairing for a while now, although I'm just now getting around to writing a fic for them. If you have a comment about the story or grammar, please let me know…