Ino Yamanaka admitted to being many things, but a coward was not one of them.

At least, that's what she told herself after she stopped for the fifth time to look at another flower growing out of the ground on her way to Ichiraku's.

I'm not stalling, she mentally argued as she straightened and smoothed out her skirt with her hand. I'm just in no particular rush to see him. We gave our thanks to him and the others so there should be no awkward atmosphere whatsoever.

With that thought Ino straightened her shoulders and walked with newfound vigor, determined to keep their meeting as short as possible. Luckily, Mavis relocated them again to a private apartment complex that wasn't far from Ichiraku's.

In reality, she really couldn't allow herself to be distracted, not with such a threat looming over her and her friends. Death threats and accusations were now a daily part of their lives due to the industry they worked in, but none had ever been to this extent. That incident was more than just an attempt on their lives, it was a statement. Whoever was behind this was going to use any means necessary to take them out. One way or another.

Ino sighed and rubbed her face tiredly. It would do her no good to stress herself out, she needed to be at the top of her game for both her job and her son.

A son who she adored with every fiber of her being.

A son who looked exactly like his father.

A father who she was on her way to meet with.

A father who had no idea that he had a son.

And hopefully he never will. Ino thought, as she pulled the door to Ichiraku's open.

Unsurprisingly, Shikamaru was already there, seated at a table beside the window with the best view of the sky. Typical. Ino took a final, steadying deep breath and strode over, making her footsteps loud enough to be heard as she neared.

"Nara." Ino greeted with a respectful nod as she took a seat across from him. "Thank you for agreeing to meet up with me on such a short notice."

"Troublesome, but it's whatever." He sighed as he brandished a tablet from the messenger bag that was hanging off his chair.

'Still as dismissive as always.' Ino thought as she pulled out her laptop and booted it up.

"I sent you the basic layout of our weekly schedule." Shikamaru said, propping his head up on the palm of his hand and staring lazily out the window.

Ino nodded and opened up the email, scanning the information and muttering to herself every now and then.

"I'll email you ours so you can take a look for yourself and we can discuss-" Ino faltered when she looked up from her typing. Shikamaru had, at some point, closed his eyes in the middle of her ramblings and had dozed off. How dare he! Ino bristled in her seat and was reaching over to smack him awake with his own tablet when she noticed his lower lip twitching in a familiar way.

Knox had the same habit whenever he napped.

Ino couldn't help but let her eyes roam all over Shikamaru's face. What other traits had Knox inherited from his father other than his physical features?

Well, he definitely got his squinting scowl from his father, but Ino was fairly certain he got her radiant smile. Ino fondly watched an all too familiar pout rest on Shikamaru's face. He always pouted in his sleep whenever he fell asleep while cloud gazing, even as kids.

Suddenly, Ino felt sick to her stomach. Here Shikamaru was, napping in the middle of a restaurant without a care in the world, not knowing that less than five miles away he had a perfectly healthy son that was his spitting image. Ino knew it was unfair to both him and her son to keep this a secret, to have kept it a secret for this long, but the alternative was much worse for Ino.

Perhaps she was being selfish, but she was not willing to risk losing her son. She would always fight tooth and nail for him. No matter what the cost.

Ino needed a breath of fresh air, it was becoming too much. She thought she could handle doing this alone but maybe she needed a bit more mental preparation before starting a real conversation with him. Taping a little sticky note to Shikamaru's drink, Ino gathered her things and stepped outside.

It was sunny out but a slight breeze kept the heat at bay for the most part. Ino took a deep breath and wallowed in the sun for a moment before turning and walking down the street, being careful as to not stray too far from Ichiraku's. She knew she could pull this off, she had birthed an entire child after all! This was child's play compared to that. She just had to get her thoughts and emotions under control. She just had to march back there, smack Shikamaru awake, avoid looking at his face, and not trip over the little old lady struggling to carry multiple pots of daffodils outside her flower shop

"Oh! Let me help you with that!" Ino exclaimed, grabbing several pots and placing them onto a stand with several other daffodils.

"Oh, thank you, darling! I thought I could make it in one trip but I guess I overestimated how much my weary old body can handle." The old lady said, placing her pots beside Ino's and gratefully shaking her hand.

"No problem!" Ino smiled and turned to the flowers, openly admiring their beauty and leaning in to give them a sniff. "The daffodils look so pretty next to the tulips!"

"They do don't they?" The old lady said with a smile. "They're on discount because no one will buy any."

Ino frowned. "Why not?"

"Don't you know? Most people want the flowers already in a vase and Daffodils tend to shorten the vase life of the other flowers in the vase." The old lady sighed, wiping her hands on her apron before turning to enter her flower shop.

Ino trailed in behind her. "But there's such a simple solution to that!"

"Oh?" The old lady asked, genuinely curious.

"You just have to cut your daffodils and put them in a vase of water by themselves for half an hour before you put them with other flowers! That way they don't secrete the sap that causes the other flower to die so quickly."

"Really? Oh, that's wonderful! I'll have to do that from now on!" The old lady looked so happy Ino couldn't help but smile.

"Mm-hm! But be sure not to recut the daffodils before placing them in an arrangement!" Ino heeded as she began to wander the flower shop, admiring and smelling all the familiar scents.

"You know a lot about flowers." The old lady noted.

"My dad owns flower shops." Ino said with a fond smile as she lightly touched the petals of a petunia.

"Ah," The old lady said with a nod before frowning slightly.

Ino blinked. "Is something the matter?"

The old lady nodded her head towards the window. "That poor boy, he looks like he's lost something. He's looking around so frantically..."

Ino turns and looks out the window to see what she means and immediately gasps. That boy was none other than Shikamaru tearing down the streets, scanning every store, and calling out loud enough for several people to turn and stare at him. Ino could tell by the way his lips moved that he was looking for her. He must not have seen her between all the large plants in the flower shop.

"O-oh, I have to go!"

"Oh, well, here take this as a token of my gratitude." The old lady handed Ino a peach rose.

Ino hurriedly thanked the old lady and waved goodbye as she made her way to the front of the store. A strong breeze tousled her hair as she scanned around for Shikamaru, raising her hand up to her eyes to block out the sun. Were the streets always this crowded? She hadn't been paying attention before but there were quite a few people window shopping.

"Nara!" Ino tried calling out once she found Shikamaru again a few stores ahead. He didn't turn around, there were too many people between them he probably couldn't hear her.

"Why would you abandon your poor boyfriend? Poor boy looks more panicked than a lost child." The old flower lady commented when she stepped outside.

"He's not my- shit." Ino jolted forward when she realized that his panic did seem to be increasing with every passing moment, not bothering to finish correcting the old lady. She called out to him again but he never so much as glanced in her direction. If he didn't calm down soon the press would arrive and they seriously could not afford any more bad publicity. Fantic, she called out the first thing that came to mind.

"Shika!"

That was an old nickname only she would use. No one else ever called him that because it annoyed the hell out of him in the past. Well, bad memories or not, it got the job done. Shikamaru froze instantly and whirled around, already ready to sprint in the direction of the voice but Ino was there in a split second, pulling him down by the collar of his shirt and leading him away from the multiple prying eyes to a small hidden alleyway where she had a whole ranting speech prepared on how ridiculous he was being.

Shikamaru had a different idea though. Before Ino could realize what was happening, Shikamaru had wrapped his arms around her waist and placed his forehead on hers, right there, ignoring the fact that any passing window shoppers could see them. He took a deep calming breath and eyes were squeezed shut as if he were trying to ground himself in her scent.

Ino was so startled she just let him, this close to him she could see the slight bags under his eyes, as if he hadn't been sleeping well at all in the last few days.

"I can't let my guard down around you," He rasped, "I can't sleep unless I'm certain you're safe, and I'm only certain if you're within my reach, where I can protect you."

He's rambling, Ino realized with wide eyes. Forget not sleeping well, Shikamaru sounded like he hadn't been sleeping at all.

"And when I finally do have you within my reach, safe, and I can finally rest my eyes for a moment, you disappear again." Shikamaru pulled her even closer by the waist, burying his face in her neck and his thumbs massaging the sides of her hips absentmindedly. "Do you have any idea how much you scare me? How your ability to just disappear from my life has me gripped in a constant state of dread?"

Ino's throat ran dry, but she managed to weakly point out, "But that's what you want-"

"I was wrong!" Shikamaru all but yelled. "I don't want that at all! I- I regret what I said, Ino. I know that alone isn't enough to make up for what I did to you, but please. Give me a chance to prove to you that I mean what I say, that I regret my past actions.

Shikamaru finally pulled away from her and reached one hand up to cup her face. "Just don't disappear again. I won't be able to bear it one more time..."

And before Ino could even comprehend what was happening, he leaned down and captured her lips in what was their first kiss in over two years. Caught so off guard, Ino's jaw dropped and her arms fell to her sides uselessly, but as soon as it started, it was over and before Ino could even get mad, Shikamaru slumped forward uselessly, his body forcefully taking the much needed sleep it required.

Ino's heart pounded so loudly in her chest she was certain it would stop at any minute. That did not just happen. This must have all been a dream. It had to have been. There's no way Shikamaru just said all those things to her. There's no way Shikamaru just kissed her. Of his own free will. There's no way.

Ino shook her head, now was not the time to be dwelling in the moment, she had to get Shikamaru somewhere where he could rest well. Unfortunately, in their current position, Ino was pinned between the wall and his body, and no way out. Not unless she wanted to make him fall to the ground and risk hitting his head.

No, she couldn't do that. Unable to reach for her own phone, not without dropping Shikamaru that is, she reached into his pocket and dialed the first number that came to mind.

"Hey Choji!... Why do I have Shikamaru's phone?...Funny you should ask..."