Sentiment
By: IchiRamen Girl
The CopyrightCrap: Naruto is not my creation,it's Masashi Kishimoto's... evenif I wish it was...

This is just a little oneshot that Iwote about Ino and Shikamaru... it's my very first fic, so give me a break with the reviews k'?

Anyway... don't copy my stuff if you know what's good for you...Enjoy!

Sentiment

'You would think that most people experienced some sort of excitement in their lives; in any shape of form, it didn't matter, but that bit was known to loom on their expression. This rang true for most others; you could read what melodrama had happened in their presence recently; although… this statement wouldn't… no, couldn't apply to that boy.

When she first saw him, his face was devoid of any enthusiasm; it was a blank slate. Truth be told, his lack of intrigue fascinated her to no end. That wonderment beckoned her to discover why he didn't posses the customary trait.

Investigating all the manners and affairs around him led her to one conclusion; that spotless mask of his was just the way he had ended up in the ceaseless corkscrew thought of as life; how he showed almost no interest in the development around him, despite the considerable circumstances.

Others took from his infamous line, 'This is so troublesome', that he was apathetic, unmotivated. However, she… she squinted beyond the guise he displayed, shaping her own way of thinking. It was only reassured whenever he spouted that convenient phrase; he adopted it to stall; it was his method of searching for an answer, using his smarts. She figured that that, could only be exposed when you took the time to peep behind his lackadaisical exterior.

Eventually, she realized, her simple-minded interrogation had become something more; something much more. She found it was no more a way to amuse herself, yet… it had evolved into a sort of… longing; she found a certain desire to drink in more about him each day.

Had she succumbed to the air of carefreeness surrounding him? Had that mere craving become… a sentiment of… love?'

Ino pondered about as she swung her legs; observing them as they batted the wall every few seconds. She'd wince and shield her eyes quickly if the sun dared to creep across her face for an umpteenth time. Her skin felt hot underneath the setting sun and her lower back ached from vacant hours of posing upon the wall's edge.

Ino realized that she wasn't very keen about this sort of thing. The nameless emotion that stirred inside of her was distant, and comparing it to her past experience didn't aid her search much.

Her forehead wrinkled in distinguishable frustration. It wasn't the delusive yearning she had back then for Sasuke-kun… no… it was… Her puzzlement came to halt. It was not only clear that she was getting nowhere, but, she had heard a lanky yawn from behind; an unmistakable one at that.

It was the same monotonous yawn that she had been ever so obsessed with; the one that had interrupted her in her ever so mystifying findings.

The sun leaped out of her pale, curious eyes.

"Ino…" the voice tediously groused, "what are you doing here?"

Ino hesitantly grumbled. She, herself was unsure of what to divulge; he was better at hunting for explanations.

"Well?" he pried, laying his hand on the anticipating wall, palming around for free room.

"Looking at the clouds," she claimed, curving her nose skyward.

The faint rustle of clothes could be heard as he then thrust himself onto the hurdle beside her and squatted down.

Silence provided the mood as the boy poised there scrutinizing his ensuing words.

"… well I'll be damned… you took my favorite spot too."

Ino cocked her head in agreement; after all, gazing at the pastel- painted sky was his sole pastime. That, she retained, was a quirk she had perceived when spending time with him.

"Hey… Shikamaru…"

"Hh'nn?" he carelessly rumbled.

"… what is it that you find so interesting about these… clouds?"

"Hmm? Oh; because… because they're relaxing…. I guess you could say." Shikamaru brought his hand up to scratch the back of his disheveled hair. "They help me think actually," he stoutly replied.

"… really?" Ino wondrously pondered.

"Yeah." He then gazed at her impertinent expression. A million and one queries were quite apparent, resting there, on her resistant lips, all of them nearly spilling out at once.

'Always the one to ask questions…' he chuckled silently.

"… you're so troublesome…" he smirked, just loud enough so she could hear.

A wide grin abruptly tugged at the corners of the girl's mouth.

At that, Ino's overwhelming anxiety broke free. It started out as a slight snicker, and ripened into an echoing bellow.

He had said it again.

"What!" Shikamaru squalled, confused; a furrow in his brow.

"Nothing, nothing," she chortled, wiping tears from her eager eyes. "You're just so…"

Ino giggled. The emotion she had been previously chasing had just struck her on the side of the head; penetrating enough to be a rock. It left her bewildered to how something so elementary had stumped her.

The boy that people called irksome, languid… unmotivated, and lacking…

They were wrong; they didn't bother understanding his ins and outs.

The boy she knew, was… it's not a lie; lazy, yet quick to conceal the unconstrained part of his complexions.

His words were ones that made you laugh…

His arms were ones to confide in in times of need.

Ino had rummaged more remotely into his trifling masquerade only to discover there was more to him than accommodates the eye;

Yet… most of all… he was:

"You're just so… loveable."

The Author's Notes and Crap:

So how'd you like it? This one took me about... oh... 2 or 3 hours... the thesaurus is a cool friend by the way; couldn't have done it without ya!

Anyway... I'm not that good at writing Author's Crap yet either; I'll just have to learn!

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review. Don't go to hard on me!