Fluff! Very-light-none-explicit-sex! Innuendos! Sprinkle of humour! Romance! Friendship! Touching! Little-to-no-plot! Scenes-not-really-related-but-still-kinda-are! Flangst!
Yeah, you get the picture...

Friends with benefits

Ino had never seen Shikamaru look so positively stunned, and not to mention, shocked. In retrospect, just blurting the question out during a casual dinner at his place, may not have been the best idea she'd ever had. On the other hand, when else should she have asked? The two glasses of wine she'd drowned had certainly helped build up her confidence. Now was the best time. She tugged at her blond ponytail, suddenly anxious for his answer. When she'd play out the scenario in her head he had never refused her! It had always ended with them having passionate-.

"Sex. You want us to have sex," Shikamaru said slowly, carefully eyeing her in disbelief, "Because we are friends?"

"That's what I said, wasn't it?" She forced herself to let go of her hair and instead pick up her utensils and continue eating, as if this wasn't the strangest conversation ever to be heard within Konoha walls. "But not because we are friends, but because we are friends."

To her utter annoyance did he not react like she wanted him to. He only snorted and got back to his food with a small shake of his head. "That does not make any sense whatsoever, Ino, and you know it."

"It makes perfect sense!" She huffed and poured both of them another glass of wine, emptying the bottle.

"Yeah, right..." Shikamaru was still clearly bemused. "Women."

Ino replied by emptying her glass in one go.

By the time the dishes were done and they had retired to his couch in the small living room, it seemed Shikamaru had forgotten all about it. Ino had not. She wasn't really drunk, but to say she was sober would be a lie. Had she been sober, she would have given up on her indecent quest now.

Needless to say, she didn't.

She folded her legs up on the couch and turned her body towards him. Maybe she had been too straight-forward in her approach.

"Shikamaru?"

"Hm?" He turned his head to look at her, the left eyebrow slightly raised in question.

"We are good friends, right?" Her hands found her hair again, this time slowly letting it come undone from its confinement. Her hair cascaded down her shoulders and back.

"Yes?" His eyebrow rose a fraction of an inch higher. Ino saw with satisfaction how his eyes traced her long hair from its root to its tip in something akin to fascination.

"Even best friends, right?" She stretched her back, making her breasts jut out almost provokingly. The skin tight dress she was wearing did her job that much easier.

"... I suppose so, yes," his gaze flickered lower than her neck for an instant. Ino cheered in victory on the inside.

"And..." she placed her hand casually on his knee, making herself lean forward in the process. "Don't best friends help each other out when in need?"

Shikamaru cleared his throat, his stare alternating between her clear blue eyes and her hand on his knee. "Sure, I guess..."

"Then wouldn't you like to..." Ino peered up at him through her lashes, her words heavy with innuendos, "help me?"

She could almost see how his brain worked frantically to keep up with this latest development. "Ino, what are you... Are you saying..." He cleared his throat forcefully again. "Are you out of your mind?"

"No," she licked her lips excruciatingly slow, carefully testing his reaction. A slow smile tugged at her mouth with what she saw. "And neither are you. We both know how this will end, so why not save ourselves the trouble, and just... Do it." She placed a small chaste kiss on his neck and withdrew slightly, giving him some space to comprehend what had happened, and what exactly she was proposing.

His eyes were very dark when he looked at her next, making a thrill travel down her spine. This might just be the best idea she'd ever had.

"You really are serious about this," he held her gaze steadily, apparently coming to some sort of conclusion.

"I'm always serious when it comes to sex," Ino answered with a flirtatious smile.

"Why me?" he asked suddenly, throwing her off guard. "You could have chosen anyone. Any guy, and girl probably, would have been ecstatic at the chance to sleep with you. So why me?"

"But..." she frowned, all thoughts of her seduction momentarily scattered with this question she'd never even considered he'd ask. "I... It has to be you, of course it must be you. We have the chemistry – don't try to deny it, Shikamaru Nara!" she said before he had the chance to interrupt her. "We have the chemistry, but we are never going to do anything useful about it, since neither of us would ever be able to put up with the other for too long! Especially not romantically. You think I'm too bossy and troublesome, and I think you are too lazy and frustrating. We would never work out as a couple," she was on a roll now, venting her frustrations on him. "And it's a shame, because I know we would have great, no, amazing sex, because it's... Us."

Shikamaru continued to watch her, his gaze still dark, but never faltering.

"Come on, Shikamaru!" Ino was starting to become really, really angry now, not to mention sexually frustrated. "I'm offering you to have mind-blowing sex with a gorgeous woman on a regular basis with no complications or obligations at all. No relationship, just sex! So, tell me... Why are we not on your bed right now?"

In a flash Shikamaru had Ino pressed down hard on the cushions of the sofa, his mind clearly made up. His chest pressed flat against hers. The look of a hungry predator in his eyes. "Because we're on the couch, Ino."

Before she could come up with a suitable response to his lame one liner, he kissed her with a passion that pleasantly surprised, not to mention thrilled her, and she responded in turn. She poured all her pent up frustration and repressed urges in this kiss. He caught her bottom lip between his teeth, biting gently; their tongues then proceeding to dance together. A steady heat was building somewhere in the pit of her stomach, making her moan softly into his mouth, eliciting a small smile from him. Her fingers found their way to his hair, wanting to set it free; his hands trailing a lazy path down her sides, leaving fire in its wake. She gasped involuntarily as his hand met the exposed skin on her thighs, scorching her. This seemed to intrigue and delight him as he agonizingly slow peeled her dress off of her, leaving her in nothing but her underwear. He took a breather to roam his eyes over her body, his gaze lingering on her curves with such fervour and wonder, Ino almost wanted to blush. Not to be outdone by Shikamaru she sat up and hooked her hands at the bottom of his shirt, pulling it off; exposing his bare chest to her. Before she got the chance to admire his toned upper body, he kissed her tenderly right below her ear.

"We can still stop and pretend this never happened..." he whispered, out of breath, more than a little hoarse.

"If you stop now, I will never forgive you," Ino vowed, pulling him in for another kiss, suddenly afraid he had changed his mind, afraid he would reject her. Somewhere in the back of her mind, veiled under layers of desire, a small whisper claimed she wouldn't care about rejection unless... Unless she actually... She lost herself in the kiss, basking in the sensation of skin against skin, effectively shutting up the annoying inner whisper.

Apparently that kiss was all the incentive he needed to carry on.

.

The next morning Ino woke up feeling refreshed and invigorated, she practically bounced from the sofa they had fallen asleep on after their first (of many, if Ino had anything to say about it. And she did.) encounter. She picked up her discarded clothing littered all over the living room floor, humming as she put them on. She looked over at Shikamaru's still sleeping form; he laid sprawled on his back, a blanket just barely keeping him decent. One arm resting on his more-than-well defined stomach and the other covering half of his face. His hair was sticking up in all kind of angles. Ino smirked, recalling more than a little smug that she was the one responsible for his dishevelled state. Her smirk quickly soften into a smile; he really did look very handsome and at peace. Careful not to disturb him, she hurried out the door and walked with a spring in her step to her own apartment, not five minutes walk away. Still humming under her breath (she couldn't seem to help herself), she showered, got dressed and made her way over to Sakura for breakfast.

The warm early summer morning really complimented her mood. She thought, in her most humblest of opinions, that Konoha had never looked this serene and idyllic. She greeted everyone she met, whether she knew them or not, with a big radiant smile that rivalled the sun itself and a pleasant "hello". The people in her wake didn't know if they hallucinated or had had one too many last night, because Ino Yamanaka's smile had never before been so wide and genuine. She usually settled for a sultry, seductive smile; if she smiled at all. Most also agreed she had never looked more attractive than she did that particular sunny morning.

"Well, aren't you just a little ray of sunshine today," Sakura remarked when Ino greeted her with the biggest smile to ever grace her features. Ino had, as usual, just walked right in and headed straight for the kitchen and the refrigerator, raiding it for anything edible.

"I've no idea what you're talking about, I was made from sunshine after all," she said with an airy smile. She found, and plucked out, a measly apple. "Where's all the food? There's barely anything in here!"

"Okay, way to be rude!" Sakura said with a twitch in her eye. She pointed with her thumb at her small kitchen table. "I've already put everything on the table in case you didn't notice. You were later than usual."

"Oh, great! I'm starving!" Ino sat down and practically did a Naruto and inhaled her food so fast Sakura thought she just might choke.

"Woaw, slow down Ino!" She didn't know whether to be amused or alarmed. "Okay, spill! What's with you today? You're acting strange or, stranger I guess..."

"Nothing, I just feel very... High on life at the moment." Ino carefully avoided Sakura's eyes and ducked her head to conceal her wide smile. To no avail.

"Oh my- no, what did you do, Ino?" Sakura sighed. "Sorry, let me rephrase: who did you do?"

Ino spluttered indignantly. "Excuse me, can't a girl be happy without having had sex?"

"A girl maybe," Sakura agreed. "But not you, Ino, I know you too well."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ino narrowed her eyes. "You make it sound like I go around sleeping with everybody who moves!"

"Sorry, you know that's not what I meant!" Sakura hurried to apologize. "I'm only saying the last time you were skipping instead of walking, and humming constantly, was when you were dating that guy from Sand last year. But when I think about it, you were never this super duper over-the-top then... So who's the lucky guy?"

Ino caved, she did after all want to share this with someone. "Fine, so I may have kind of slept with Shikamaru last night... Maybe."

Sakura made a strange noise in the back of her throat, a smile growing by the second on her face. "Seriously? Oh, Ino! I'm so happy for you!"

Ino laughed and rolled her eyes at her friend. "Please, it's not that big of a deal."

"Not that big of a...? Ino, this is huge!" Sakura was practically beaming. "Do you have any idea how long we've all waited?"

"Waited?" Ino felt more than a little confused. Why would anyone have waited for her and Shikamaru to sleep together? "What are you talking about? And who are 'we'?"

"Just about everyone, of course!" Sakura said this like it was the most obvious thing ever. "Well, fine, only Tenten, Hinata and I. And Tsunade and Shizune. And maybe Choji, but I've never actually asked him..."

Ino looked at her friend in horror at the thought of telling poor Choji of her and Shikamaru's unconventional agreement. He would probably never be comfortable around them on missions again if he knew they had casual sex on occasion, but then again... Maybe she didn't give him enough credit.

...

Who was she kidding? Choji was a hopeless romantic; he'd probably never even heard of the concept of friends sleeping together just for the heck of it. And to be honest, she preferred to keep it that way. And if Choji knew it would only be a matter of time before her father got wind of it – that was a conversation neither she, nor Shikamaru were keen on having. Chances were Shikamaru wouldn't survive the encounter.

"You are absolutely not telling Choji under any circumstances!"

"Why not? He'll be thrilled you're finally together!"

"Togeth-...? Oh," She finally understood what her friend thought had happened. "Sakura, I said we slept together, not that we actually are together."

"I don't really understand the difference."

"Sometimes, you are just too cute," Ino said with a smile and a casual flip of her hair. "I'm saying Shikamaru and I are friends who happen to have sex."

"You're friends with benefits?" Sakura was shocked to say the least. She narrowed her eyes sceptically. "Does Shikamaru know that?"

"Of course he knows! I made it perfectly clear last night."

"Are you sure? I can't really imagine Shikamaru agreeing to something like that, to be honest. He's too smart."

"Yeah, too smart to pass up an opportunity to have sex with a gorgeous women like, well, me!" Ino was more annoyed than she let on. First Shikamaru, now Sakura! Why didn't anyone immediately see the brilliance of her plan?

"Okay, if you're sure..." Sakura bit her lip in concern. "I'm sorry, I just don't think this is such a good idea. I have a bad feeling someone is going to get hurt."

"And I have a feeling you're wrong," Ino huffed. "We're adults, we know what we're doing, so stop worrying and," she smirked mischievously, "tell me allabout the date I know you had last night. Maybe I wasn't the only one getting lucky last night, eh...?" Ino watched with a smug smile how the colour quickly rose in her friends cheeks.

"Ino! You know I don't... I didn't," Sakura seemed to struggle with what to say. "I... It was just dinner. We ate-"

"Each other?"

"Food," her face quite matched her pink hair colour by now. "Honestly Ino, you are impossible sometimes...!"

"Only sometimes? You wound me."

Sakura only rolled her eyes at that without any sympathy at all. "Somehow I doubt that..."

Ino smiled to herself; diversion successful.

"I'm really sorry I missed dinner last night," Choji apologized to his old two team mates when they met up later in the evening for some friendly taijutsu sparring. The three ninja did what they could to meet as often as possible; but inbetween missions and their separate schedules, it was not as often as any one of them would have liked. "My parents wanted to meet Ayame officially, and yesterday was the only day this week that suited everybody."

"Don't worry about it, Choji," Ino assured her friend. "We know how important she is to you. I assume it went well?"

"Yeah, she really is something that one, she charmed the jounin vests off of my parents; they loved her!" Choji beamed at his friends, before changing the subject. He was very much in love, but also careful not to rub it in to his unattached friends. Ino adored that side of him. "So, what did you guys eat? Was it good?"

"Delicious," Shikamaru drawled, not looking at Ino, but she could tell his words were for her. She did her best to look casual. "Especially dessert."

"Oh, I love dessert! What did you have?"

Shikamaru's eyes flickered to Ino before he answered. "Ino."

Ino choked on her own saliva and stepped on Shikamaru's foot as hard as she could.

"Ino made it," he clarified unperturbed. "You should ask her."

Choji turned completely oblivious to Ino. He smiled expectantly.

"It-... Er, it was... I just whipped something up at the last minute. Nothing memorable," she said with a breezy smile. "Are we going to train, or just stand here talking?" She turned on her heel and made her way over to training ground ten.

"Not memorable? I beg to differ, Ino," Shikamaru caught up to her with Choji hot on his heel. "If I remember correctly you were very vocal about your enjoyment of dessert last night. Practically begging for more."

Ino swung around suddenly, aiming a kick at Shikamaru's head. She just wanted him to shut up, and wipe that infuriating smirk off his face. She had been very clear to him about keep this business strictly between the two of them (with Sakura as the exception of course!). Apparently he liked to cheat. Shikamaru dodged her kick easily, his smirk growing wider.

"Sore subject, Ino? Speaking of sore..." Ino charged at him again, aiming punch after punch to whatever area of his body she could get to. Chest, arms, legs, head. She knew she was being sloppy and totally lacked any kind of finesse, but at that moment she didn't really care. She caught him unaware for a split second and landed a powerful punch to his gut.

"What were you saying about sore? Because I just feel... Invigorated, but you don't look so good," it was Ino's turn to smirk.

"I distinctly recall you saying the dessertwas... Bigger than you were used to, more filling so to speak," Shikamaru seemed to enjoy himself quite well, despite being used as a punching bag.

Ino flushed bright red, she sincerely hoped he wouldn't notice nor comment. She threw a punch at his face for good measure. But no such luck.

"Feeling flustered, Ino? All this talk about dessert got you craving for more maybe?" Shikamaru had distracted her so severely he managed to catch her by the arm and spin her around. Pinning her back against his front. She could clearly feel he was very much enjoying the moment. His breath was hot against her ear. "After training, my place."

"I'll be there," Ino said quietly before breaking lose from his grip. "Asshole."

Choji watched his team mates with confusion evident on his face. "Whatever you had, I want a taste too!" He yelled after them, and barrelled into the match himself, determined not to miss out on what promised to be a good fight.

"What are you doing?" Shikamaru asked with narrowed eyes. He leaned against the door frame to his own bathroom where Ino stood wrapped in a towel, putting some make up on.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm putting on my make up." Ino rolled her eyes while expertly applying a cream to enhance her luminous skin. "For such a smart guy, you sure are great at pointing out the obvious."

"Why? I don't care what you look like."

"Maybe you don't, but my date certainly will." Ino dropped the bomb with what she hoped was an air of indifference. She dreaded his reaction. She had faith he understood the conditions of their agreement, but this was the first time over these past three weeks she or he was about to actually meet someone else. "It would take a minor catastrophe for me to ever show my face in public without make up."

"I know that, don't change the subject. A date?" he said flatly. "Who?"

"Oh, just some chunin who has been pestering me for weeks, I thought I should cut him some slack. Reward him for his persistence."

"Really?" He came up behind her, peered in to the mirror over her shoulder. Close to touching her, but not quite. Subconsciously Ino leaned slightly back, so she could feel the warmth radiating from his body. Their gazes locked in the mirror. His face unreadable, only one eyebrow raised as if in question.

"Yes, really."

"Where are you going? Where is he taking you?"

"No one takes me anywhere," Ino huffed annoyed. "But, not that it's any of your business, we're going to Yamamoto's."

"Expensive," he drawled in response. He stroked a few still wet strands from her neck, his fingers brushing against her skin in the process. She leaned even further back. "He must really want to impress you if that's where you're going."

"Well, maybe some have higher standards than Ichiraku's."

"Is that so?" He placed his lips right below her left earlobe, trailing a lazy pattern of kisses down to her collarbone and up again. His calloused hands rested heavily on her shoulders. Electricity charging underneath them. "I've never heard you complaining before."

"Maybe I just didn't want to hurt your feelings."

He chuckled against the skin on her neck, but did not answer.

"Shikamaru, are you trying to seduce me?" She asked annoyed, but her voice was not entirely steady, betraying her.

"Depends on whether or not it's working..." He answered without missing a beat. One of his hands rose to her hair, gently massaging her scalp, eliciting shudders down her spine. "So tell me; am I seducing you?"

"I think you are," she admitted with a sigh. She dropped the lipstick she was about to apply, without caring where it landed. She could find it tomorrow. Or buy a new one, that colour wasn't really Ino anyway.

"Good," he growled into her neck. She moaned in response, and very deliberately dropped her towel so it pooled round her feet. A sharp intake of breath was her cherished reward. She captured his hand still resting on her shoulder, putting one of his long digits carefully in her mouth.

"If you keep that up, I'll never let you go on your date," Ino was thrilled to hear his deep voice, made even deeper and huskier by her ministrations.

"Like that wasn't the point..." Ino let go of his hand, turned around and put her arms tightly around his neck, pressing her naked body against his clad one. She'd had enough of his teasing; she wanted the real deal. "I'm sure he'll understand," she whispered with a smile.

He snorted at her claim, but made no further comment on the subject. He hoisted her up on the sink, her legs automatically wrapping around his waist. His arms encircling her smaller frame.

Their lips met in a passionate kiss.

Ino did not really want to admit it, least of all to herself, but she had missed Shikamaru like crazy these past five weeks. She was on her way to his apartment, determined to catch up on lost time. She wore only a coat reaching just past her knees and lacy, red lingerie. She felt almost giddy with anticipation.

She, Sakura and Hinata had been sent on a guard mission, it had been very simple, not to mention boring. They were put in charge of guarding a young woman until her nuptials to a powerful miner. Turns out the miner was paranoid beyond belief, and the three ninja had spent five weeks doing essentially nothing. The weeks had dragged by at an agonizingly slow pace. The only plus side Ino could see was all the shopping she had done. Especially at the store called Kunoichi's Secret.

Sakura had been appalled when Ino had forced her to accompany her. After a customary rant on how sexist and degrading the whole franchise was, she had stormed out of there, red in the face, threatening Ino bodily harm if she dared to bring innocent little Hinata with her the next time. Ino had secretly thought maybe Hinata would benefit the most from the store. If she didn't make a move towards Naruto soon, someone else was bound to snatch him up, leaving the girl heartbroken.

In the end Ino had spent numerous hours and ryos in the store, and after five weeks she had twelve sets of lingerie in different colours and varying degrees of modesty.

She planned to inaugurate her first set today. When she arrived in front of his door she couldn't keep a smile of her face any longer. She knocked on his door, impatient, but also thrilled, excited and... Nervous?

Then there he was. In his usual jounin gear, with his usual expression of his face, one eyebrow raised as in question. His hair bound high on his head. She didn't even think, she just threw her arms around him, slamming the door closed expertly with her foot. He staggered back half a step in surprise, but wrapped his arms around her out of reflex.

"Ino-" He began, but said girl planted her eager lips on his mouth, effectively shutting him up. She did not come there to talk; that they could do later, much later. While kissing him she quickly unbuttoned her coat, leaving it open.

"Who is that, Shikamaru-sensei?" A high-pitched voice asked from inside his home. Ino froze.

Shikamaru abruptly grabbed her by her shoulders, holding her an arms length away. His eyes widened, and he groaned when he saw what she was wearing.

"Yeah, who is that?" A second voice chimed in, this a little deeper, but not by much.

"Oh, oh!" the first one, who Ino identified as a girl's voice, said excited. "Is that the girl who has been driving you crazy? Is it, sensei? Is it?"

Shikamaru groaned again. Ino hastily tried to button her coat again. This was not how the scenario had played out in her head!

"Or is that your team mate you have told us about?" a third voice, this a boy, asked curious. "The pretty one from the pictures?"

Shikamaru closed his eyes and took a deep calming breath. Shielding Ino from view with his body, he faced the three unknown persons. Having accomplished closing her coat, Ino peeked from behind his back. Three young genin stared back at her with wide, curious eyes. Two boys and one girl. Approximately twelve years old

"I thought they were the same person?" The girl, who had long curly red hair, said with a frown. "Right, sensei?"

"Ino, this is my genin team," Shikamaru said, pointedly ignoring his student. His voice was only slightly strained, which Ino thought was a real feat considering. "They graduated from the academy last week. Mariko, Kenji, Akira, this is Ino. My team mate."

Ino flashed a brilliant smile at his students. Inwardly, however, she was cursing their very existence, and kicking herself for her timing. The three genin, blissfully unaware, waved at her cheerfully.

Without her really knowing how it happened, Ino found herself at Shikamaru's dining table, drinking tea with Shikamaru and his genin team. In only her undergarments and a coat.

"Are you sure you don't want to hang off your jacket?" The girl, Mariko, asked obviously concerned. "I think it's super hot in here as it is!"

The boys, Kenji and Akira, agreed, nodding their heads.

"Yeah, Ino," Shikamaru smirked. "Let me get that for you." He started to rise.

"No!" Ino assured, and shot a murdering glance in his direction. He sat back down again. "No, it's fine. I don't get hot easily."

Shikamaru choked discreetly on his tea.

"So," Ino said. "Is graduating everything you thought it would be?"

"Well-" Kenji said slowly. He was a very small boy with cropped dark hair. "- to be honest, I did kind of think we would be fighting bad guys, not... Babysitting."

"Or find an old, fat cat!" Akira said.

"Or weeding an overgrown garden." Mariko cast a quick glance at her team leader, afraid she'd said too much.

"I remember that," Ino made a nostalgic face. "I hated all the D-ranked missions. Maybe except for the shopping sometime, that could be fun! When it wasn't groceries."

"And your complaining made me and Choji hate them too," Shikamaru muttered.

"Don't listen to him," Ino scowled. "I only said what all three of us were thinking."

"Exactly. Thinking."

Ino just rolled her eyes at him. "Without me, none of the missions would have been completed."

"Yeah, with your nagging you could probably get a dead guy to do what you say, just to make you shut up and let him rest in peace. Troublesome."

"Without my nagging, you would be a genin alongside your genin!"

Mariko, Kenji and Akira looked at each other, feeling a bit awkward and out of place. Akira cleared his throat, trying to dispel the tension. He unnecessarily straightened his glasses too, a nervous habit.

Ino snapped back to attention, a bit embarrassed by their display. "Anyway, after a couple of months of D-ranks, you'll be receiving a C-rank, and all those boring missions will have been worth it, trust me," she flashed them another of her killer smiles, trying to make them feel at ease again.

"Then you get to our rank, you'll be handed A-ranks or even an occasional S, and suddenly you are wishing for a D-rank, just to catch a break," Shikamaru said dryly and stood up. He motioned for his genin to follow suit, which they did with an eagerness that made Ino smile slightly. They trudged out of the apartment, chatting about inconsequential things. Mariko stopped breifly as she was about to pass through the door Shikamaru held open for her. "It was really nice meeting you, Ino. I've been pestering sensei about his girlfriend all week! And he claimed he didn't have one. Men!" She rolled her eyes dramatically. With a wave at Ino she ran out. "Hey, guys! Wait for me!"

Shikamaru shifted his weight from one foot to the other, watching Ino through the corner of his eye. "You can stay here until I get back, it shouldn't take long," he scratched the back of his head. "They run out of stamina even before I think it's too troublesome.

Ino unbuttoned her coat, finally taking it off. The heat had been killing her! It was a relief to stand there in only her underwear. The look on Shikamaru's face, however, made heat flare up inside her again. And it had nothing to do with the temperature.

He cleared his throat. "Tree climbing. I'll show them how it's done. There and back. Sixteen minutes."

"I take your word for it," she turned slowly on her heel, making way to his small bedroom. In the doorway she paused and turned in half profile. She licked her lips. "I've missed this."

"Make that nine." He disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

With two sentences the world fell apart around her.

Shikamaru was in the hospital. It was not looking good.

She hadn't been there.

He was in the hospital.

It was bad.

Ino ran the fastest she could, ignoring the people she knocked over on her way. She ran, a purple blur racing through the streets. She ran, the panic barely held at bay.

She pushed the doors to the hospital open with such force the resounding bang scared all the nurses and patients in the vicinity. She did not care.

She was yelling obscenities at the receptionist when strong arms wrapped around her arm, pulling her along. A flash of pink told her it was Sakura who had come to her rescue.

"Where is he?" She demanded.

Sakura only tightened her grip and took her up three flights of stairs.

"Where is he?" She demanded again. "Sakura, tell me where he is!"

Sakura stopped suddenly in front of two revolving doors.

"Ino, listen to me," she said urgently. "You need to calm down. His genin are here too, they told me he fought four enemy ninja by himself. Stalling them, so his students could get away and get back up. When they returned all the enemies were dead and Shikamaru..." Sakura paused, searching Ino's ashen face. "Tsunade is in there, and I only left when I got word you were here threatening all the staff with dismemberment. He's in good hands. He's going to be okay, we'll make sure of it, so calm down. Don't make his genin cry any more than they already do. You are a jounin kunoichi, act like it!" With that Sakura pushed through the doors and hurried down a corridor, disappearing through a door at the far end. Outside Ino saw Choji anxiously sitting on a wooden bench with the three small genin who were Shikamaru's students.

"Ino!" Choji stood up and opened his arms to Ino who without hesitating embraced her friend fiercely. She fought the tears threatening to fall down her face. They sat down on the bench, not talking. Only waiting.

It was all they could do.

.

It was not until several hours later, Sakura came through the doors again. By this time all their friends had gathered outside, making the narrow corridor incredibly crowded. It was rare someone got so badly hurt he needed surgery in this time of peace, but everybody was painfully aware of the mortality-rate that came with the job.

All heads snapped up at Sakura's entrance.

"He is still unconscious, but he will make a full recovery given time."

A collective sound of relief was heard, and Ino finally succumbed to the tears, sobs rattling her body. She followed Sakura like a sleepwalker, her vision blurry, her movements a far cry from her usual gracefulness. She did not even notice that all the others hung back at Sakura's request. It was more a threat than a request, really.

"He's through that door," Sakura said and gave Ino a little nudge towards it.

Ino hesitated only for a split second before she stepped inside. Her eyes immediately settled on the bandaged figure resting in the sole bed. Machines hooked up to him, giving off soft beeps at regular intervals. She walked as quietly as she could given the circumstances, over to his bed. A hard wooden chair was placed beside the bed. She collapsed on it and took his hand carefully in her own. The tears rolled down her face in a constant stream. He did not belong in a hospital, he hated hospitals. He said it gave him the creeps; the smell was repellent and the beds weren't even that comfortable. Ino knew, because she had listened to him rant every time he was forced to step a foot inside the place. Ino also knew hospitals reminded him of the failed mission to bring back Sasuke over ten years ago. And failed missions reminded him of Asuma-sensei.

And now he was stuck here.

Ino vowed to herself she wouldn't leave his side. He wouldn't face it alone.

They could hate it here together.

Two days passed and no change. His friends came and went. Ino never left his side. Choji only rarely did so.

A week passed and no change. Choji joked he was probably faking it to escape her nagging at him for being arrogant and careless.

Ten days passed and no change. Choji was sent on a mission, while Shikamaru's parents returned from theirs. Ino only left when she had to use the bathroom, always returning as fast as she could, convinced he'd woken up when she wasn't there. Or gotten worse.

The thirteenth night Ino was woken from her slumber by a hand stroking her hair from her face. She had fallen asleep next to him on the bed – again. As long as no one else caught them, Sakura had promised not to mention anything about Ino's sleeping arrangements. She opened her eyes, disoriented and sleepy; her blue eyes met his dark.

"Hey," he said, his voice hoarse from disuse.

Ino closed her eyes, suddenly dizzy from an array of emotions she couldn't identify properly.

"If this is a dream, please don't wake me," she whispered.

She could see before her mind's eye how his eyebrow rose slightly. "I really hope you dream of more pleasant things than I almost dying."

She smiled, revelling in the sound of his voice.

"Are you crying?" He asked, a note of alarm in his tone.

"It's the only thing I seem to know how to do these days. Useless."

"Huh," he said. He only managed to lift his arm an inch, but Ino understood what he wanted to do. Careful of all the cords she put his arm around her, draping her own across his chest. "I have to say I really like you doing all the work. Maybe I should almost die more often."

"If you do I will kill you," Ino tightened her hold on him. "I thought you... And then when you didn't wake up... I..."

"It's okay," he stroked her hair, clumsy because of the bandages. "I'm okay."

Ino sat up slightly, initiating eye-contact again. "But what if you weren't? What if this had been it? I've come to realize during your time here in the hospital I don't want to be friends with benefits any more. We both know we were terrible at it anyway!"

"What are you saying exactly...?"

"I'm saying I haven't accepted a date for three months; that chunin doesn't count," she added before he could protest. "I've never been more content in my life, and I haven't once during these past two weeks here bothered to do my make up."

Shikamaru blinked and looked at her more closely. "A minor catastrophe," he murmured, repeating her words from what felt like a lifetime ago.

"Everyone and their mothers have seen me like this, and I don't even care," Ino marvelled at her own confession, amazed she hadn't seen it before. "I don't care because I think I might love you."

Shikamaru snorted softly. "Only you could make a confession of love be about make up."

"And you love me for it," Ino grinned and brought her face closer to his. Their lips millimetres apart.

"And I love you for it, Kami help me," he repeated and closed the distance between them.

Ino soared with her spirit, her whole being filled with love and joy.

"Ouch," he drew back slightly. "Maybe going further would overdo it..."

"We can't have that," Ino said and laid back on his chest. "You probably want to be in good health when we tell my father."

Shikamaru groaned. "You know? This friends with benefits thing really wasn't a bad idea."

"Stop being such a baby. Just stay clear of mentioning the premarital sex and inappropriate touching and I think you'll be okay. Probably"

Shikamaru groaned again and burrowed his face against her hair. "I should have stayed unconscious."

Ino laughed, feeling more free and more happy than she had ever felt before. She snuggled closer, inhaling deeply. She felt him do the same.

Her world slowly fell back in to place.

Tell me what you think; rage against me for the fade to blacks (this is really as far as I'm comfortable going, however); tell me how out of character everyone was; tell me it sounds like English is my second language; say hi!

Or don't.

Either way I am always sincerely glad you stopped by!