Ruined

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.

"What did you say?" Ino asked softly, slowly, puzzlement hinting at the tip of her tongue. Her blue eyes widened and she tilted her head toward him a few inches.

Shikamaru's once confident visage faltered, revealing the emotions he was trying to subdue. He reclined his head back to avoid the closeness of her face. Embarrassment and even desperation replaced his determination. He struggled to recollect himself.

He forced himself to ask the question yet again, fearing the answer even more now. Didn't her reaction just prove his greatest suspicion? The one which sulked around in the shadows of his heart? That he was just temporary, just something to play around with for a little while until something better, something brilliant—something not average—replaced him.

"Will you marry me?" he managed to stutter out.

And he waited once again for that answer to come—that answer which would ruin his life one way or the other. He prayed, wished, hoped that he would be given the most troublesome future. One in which an Ino Nara would be an importuning wife, a constant nuisance until he died; a life like his father. Because if she said "No," then his life would be destroyed. It would be a life haunted by the troublesome, agonizing thought that he could never have her and she didn't want him—not in how he wanted her.

"No," she said in a whisper, eyes casting to the side. He didn't dare look up when he heard her words; words that pierced like a jagged sword through his heart. He could all ready feel his world tearing up around him. He loved her so much. Still it had occurred how he had predicted. He had gone through the scenario over and over in his mind, thinking up different results. And every time she had responded negatively. He had hoped that there would have been one reaction he hadn't thought of. He should have known that shadows don't compare to a real man.

"No, I think the question is: Do you want to marry me?"

His gaze shot up at her. She had a smug smile on her face. She slinked seductively toward him, her lips coming closer and closer to his. She laid her arms on top of his shoulders, loosely around his neck. Her body pressed against him.

"You know I'm going to boss you around," she stated matter-of-factly. "I'm not going to stand for any of your laziness crap. I'll probably drain you of all your money."

He chuckled lightly and his lips tugged into a grin. "I think I can handle you after all these years." She raised an eyebrow at him. "And besides, I don't want anything else."

Short story inspired by the Shikaino community at Narutofan forums. Hope you enjoyed! Please review!