A/N: This was a hard chapter to write. I rewrote it many times. Initially, I wanted to make an angsty chapter but my mind refused to cooperate, so after a few edits, this is what I came up with. Hope you enjoy!

Also thank you for reviewing the last chapter. I really appreciate it!

A month had passed since Kakashi bestowed the task of getting Temari's hand to strengthen the alliance and to this day, Shikamaru had done absolutely nothing.

The big part of the reason was he did not want to do it. The remaining part was he just did not know how.

Could somebody just shine a light on how to court that fearsome woman? If only he had feelings for Temari, he might have just tried harder. But he did not feel anything towards her and he kept procrastinating. She came on official visits and he treated her as formally. Kakashi did asked him to treat her nicely, but it was hard to fake something that he did not have. He only saw her as a friend, and treat her as a friend he did. He knew that Kakashi will reprimand him one way or the other, but he will deal with that later.

There were some occasions where he almost went to Kakashi to break the whole thing off because let's face it, it was just ridiculous. Surely there must be other ways to strengthen the alliance without sacrificing him! Other people could get married instead. How about arranging Gaara's or Kankurou's marriage to one of Konoha's top officials? Other times he thought that a genjutsu was formed on him while discussing it with Kakashi but in the end, he knew that he agreed to it with his consciousness present. His love and duty towards Konoha went above anything.

He didn't tell a soul about it. He didn't feel the need to share, plus, it must be carried out secretly so that it will look like it was always meant to be. So he kept it to himself and did not breathe a word to anybody, not even his best friend, and especially not to one Yamanaka Ino.

Whatever he had with Ino, he wanted to prolong it as long as possible.

He found himself walking the familiar path to her apartment that night after he finished his work at the Hokage's office. He was exhausted with the mounds of paperwork that never seems to end, and his brain was completely fried to think of anything other than letting his feet navigate him to somewhere. They led to Ino and before he knew it, he was standing in front of the purple door and was about to insert his own key into the keyhole. For a moment he just stood there, staring at the key and wondered how it came to be in his possession.

Then he remembered how Ino casually threw that thing to him, saying that she was done with him sneaking about her house like a thief trying to get in through the window and it was such a bother to open the door for him because he always came at such ungodly hour so why didn't he get a copy and help himself the next time he comes around?

He did the same thing. That had been a year ago.

He chuckled to himself at the memory as he unlocked the door and let himself in. It was not quite late in the night so he was surprised to find her house completely void of light, except for the one inside the bathroom at the far back. He walked towards the light and as he drew closer, he heard the soft splashing sound of the water and the occasional hum of a woman.

Ino's face was a mix of cross and surprised upon seeing him casually strolled into the bathroom like he owned the place. Her eyebrows went up higher as he positioned himself in front of the toilet, unzipped his pants and did his business. He glanced at her as he did so and found her arms was crossed over her chest, mouth pouting in irritation.

"What's with all these candles?" He ignored her expression and gestured at a couple of scented block of wax that were scattered around the bathroom. The warm, flickering lights gave such a relaxing feeling and the mix of soothing scents gave such a tranquility to the atmosphere. Shikamaru felt instantly calmed and relieved of tension.

She maintained the pointed look for a good measure before dropping the matter off and resumed her previous task. "I had a long day." She answered. She scooped the soapy water and poured it on her skin, rubbing it in circles. Shikamaru felt a slow burn deep within his gut at the sight. "Besides, I didn't expect you tonight."

"What does that mean?" He moved to the sink and washed his hands.

Ino threw a scornful look. "We just met last night."

"So?"

"So it's two days in a row! We don't do two days in a row, Shikamaru. You know that."

Yeah, he knew. He knew about her obsession about not wanting to fall asleep and wake up next to each other for two days straight or more to avoid getting into a habit. He scowled. "I did not come for that." But looking at her now, all naked and wet, he would not mind joining her in the tub.

Her forehead wrinkled. "So what are you here for?"

"Nothing. I just feel like coming. Can't I come?" He was about to take his clothes off but his stomach suddenly growled and he remembered that due to his busy work, he had not eaten since morning. Hunger won against desire so he abandoned the task of undressing and casually strolled out to head to the kitchen.

He rummaged her fridge and cupboard to find anything edible but being Ino, he should have known that there was nothing entirely filling in her house. He settled on an apple and flopped down on the couch as he ate, feeling completely at home. He could relax in her space without worrying about anything for a while. He did his own thing while she did hers. It all worked out perfectly. If he wanted, they could have sex right after her bath then they could take a bath together again. For a while, he delved in his comfort, refusing to let his mind to think that someday this will have to end.

After what it seemed like forever, he heard the rustle in the bathroom indicating that she was done. He blinked the sleepiness away, did not realizing that he had dozed off after finishing the apple. He heard her footsteps coming towards his direction, lights coming on one by one and soon she came into view, wearing a fluffy bathrobe with a matching towel wrapped around her wet hair. A pair of same fluffy material covered her feet. She looked fresh and clean and homey, her beauty authentically shown without a trace of makeup, and for the first time, love burst out of his chest and overpowered the lust he always felt as he looked at her like that.

"You should stop doing this." She said as she unwrapped the towel from her head and began drying her hair.

"Do what?" He asked in confusion.

"Treating me like your girlfriend."

"I'm not." He protested.

She rolled her eyes. "You showed up at my place with no intention of having sex. You've been doing that a lot recently."

He raised his eyebrows. "Uh, friends do that, too. But if you want sex, I'm always up for it."

"You know what I mean!" She threw her wet towel at him. "Okay, how about you just barged in while I was taking a bath and peed in front of me like we are some old married couple?"

"In my defense," he threw the towel back at her. "The door was open and I really need to pee."

"You could have knocked!"

"Why knock on an open door? If you don't like me barging in, you should have locked it."

"This is my house. I thought I was alone."

He shrugged carelessly. "Well, it's not like nothing you have not seen. Or rather," he gave her a knowing look from head to toe, "it's not like I haven't seen you naked before."

She glowered.

"Why are you so mad?"

"I don't like it." She stomped towards her room.

"You don't like the things I did or the fact that you enjoy it?" He called out to her disappearing back.

He followed her into the bedroom. She was still drying her hair when he entered, and she glared at his reflection in the mirror. He shook his head at her cloudy mood and went to the drawer to take a towel and some spare clothes he was sure he had left during his last visit. He found it in the next drawer, full of his things he had left over the years.

"You are slowly moving into my apartment." She stated sourly.

"Am not." He chose what he wanted and got up. He discarded his clothes into the dirty bin before heading for the bathroom.

"Yes, you are. Before I know it, you will live here full time."

"You are the one who give me a drawer. What can you say about that?"

"Well, I have to dump your stuff somewhere." She replied defensively.

He decided not to comment on that and proceeded to take a shower. He knew that there will be no end to their petty argument if someone did not back down, and the obvious choice was definitely him. He did not mind. He had let her win all her life.

She peeked into the bathroom while he was brushing his teeth. "At least close the door when you are inside, geez."

"Troublesome." He replied after he spat the foam out. He noticed that she was staring a bit too long at his naked form, and he raised his eyebrows at her, challenging her to come inside.

"Troublesome." She repeated his favourite phrase and left. He chuckled. It was funny whenever she feigned innocence.

Before they got sexually involved, Shikamaru had never imagined that Ino could be so ordinary and domestic. Growing up, he always thought that she spend her spare time looking in the mirror and indulge her vanity behind closed doors, but it was not until he started "living" in her space that he found she did none of that. She did normal things like reading and listening to music, sometimes trying on new recipes. She cared for some flower pots in the balcony. Sometimes she took to studying ninja scrolls and thick medicine books. He had got to know her better after he received that key to her apartment.

In the beginning, their encounters were sparse and random. The first few times were total accidents. They never thought that they will get involved again after the pregnancy scare, but what was rational and right with alcohol swimming in their bloodstreams? Soon, accidents became coincidences, and coincidences turned to schemes. Shikamaru guessed the exchanged of keys changed everything.

A quickie in an alley had evolved to an overnight stay, and the frequency increased after they hit the one-year mark.

She was on the bed when he entered the bedroom after his bath, painting her toenails with absolute concentration. He hung his towel on the hook before flopping down on the empty space beside her. She stopped when the mattress dipped from his weight, a glare was directed at his way.

He ignored it as usual. "I'm hungry. Should we order takeouts?"

She finished her last nail. "How about you go out and never come back."

He let his hand landed on her bare, shapely thigh. "You are so moody tonight. Are you on your period?"

She slapped his hand away. "No!"

"Then why are you-"

"It's my me time! You are not supposed to be here!"

There will be no end to her complaints if he retort back so he kept his mouth shut. Ino was probably in one of those moods that night. He stretched on the bed, yawning as he did so. He refused to leave the comfort but his stomach was growling again. He went to the fridge to require a second apple when a knock sounded on the door.

"Ino?" A soft, feminine voice called tentatively.

Shikamaru froze in his spot. The walls of the apartment were thin so Ino, too, heard the knock. She appeared at the doorway and looked questioningly at him. Who? She mouthed.

Sakura! He replied.

"Ino, are you still up?" The knocking resumed.

They stared at each other, both unmoved from their positions. Shikamaru figured if they remained silent then Sakura will get the hint that Ino was probably asleep and leave, but soon he heard the jingle of keys. A moment later, he saw the doorknob turned.

In a split second, he was inside the bedroom. Like a shadow, he had silently slipped into the room without any noise. Being a ninja had its perks sometimes, and in this case, it was stealth and speed. He turned on the blonde.

"You gave her your house key, too?" He didn't know why he was furious.

The blue eyes steeled. "Hey, she helps me maintain the place whenever I go on missions, okay." Then a thought struck her. "I should probably make you do it instead."

"Doesn't give her the right to freely enter your house."

Ino looked undisturbed by his comment. Apparently, Sakura was used to come and go as she pleased. "I wonder what she wants. It must be important."

It took Sakura quite a moment to find the right key. "Make her go." Shikamaru whispered.

"If you leave when I told you to then we wouldn't be in this position." Ino hissed.

He stared at her. So she still wanted to have her way in this tight situation and blame it all in him.

"This won't be a problem if you keep your visiting hours well past bedtime." She continued. "I'll never hear the end of it if she sees you here at this hour, wearing that." She scorned disdainfully at his boxer.

He was getting tired of her being so high and mighty. "Well, I guess if she catch us we'll just have to come clean."

"Are you crazy?" She almost shrieked but he managed to cover her mouth as the lock finally give and the door was pushed open. In a flash, Ino pushed him deeper into the bedroom.

"Stay inside and be quiet!" She warned with gritted teeth and stormed outside.

The bedroom door was not properly shut so he could hear everything that they were saying through the tiny crack. Sakura came bearing work that needed to be discussed urgently but soon their conversation turned into casual chat and gossips. Shikamaru sighed when they started to talk about romance and boys and tried to tune their excited chatter out. It was going to be a long night.

He almost fell asleep when he heard his name.

"You know I heard something about Shikamaru the other day." Sakura's tone was casual.

Ino replied curiously, "what is it?"

"Do you know that he is dating Temari?" Sakura answered and all details about the talk he had with Kakashi not too long ago spilled from her cherry-glossed lips.