Author's Note: Hello readers, thank you so much for taking the time to come and check out my story. I'm so excited that you are going to read it. This story is an AU, and I love Shikamaru and Temari, but my OTP is still Ino and Shikamaru. To satisfy my need for the ship to have romantic moments I have created this story. It is based off of James Arthur's song Say You Won't Let Go. This story is also a bit of a slice of life kind of story. Please share your thoughts in a comment or review, and be sure to follow and favorite this story if you like it. I apologize for any grammatical errors you may encounter and will do my best to catch them.

Warnings: AU | Language | Suggestive Themes

Summary: Shikamaru and Ino grew up together, but as they got older they drifted apart. Just before high school ends the two revive their friendship and over time that friendship turns into like and then like turns into love. Sometimes the one person you really need has been there all along.

ONE

-I met you in the dark, you lit me up

You made me feel as though I was enough-

Shikamaru Nara knew her once before, but how he wanted to know her again. In many ways, Ino Yamanaka was like every other troublesome girl he had ever met, but there was something about her. His eyes locked on her as she bounded over to the ancient stereo system tucked into the back corner of the dance team's studio. Her blond hair swayed like golden fields under an evening sun. He smirked when she pressed play and a Spice Girl's song blasted through the speakers. The dozen girls on the dance team all laughed and sang along, dancing as if no one was watching.

"Dude! You're late for practice!" Naruto Uzumaki hollered from the main gym.

Shikamaru ripped his eyes from Ino and her team. "Yeah, yeah." He waved at Naruto in a noncommittal way. He wasn't much for sports, but his mother told him he needed to do something extracurricular. And he kicked himself everyday for deciding to join the basketball team. At the beginning of his senior year, he planned on quitting, and yet he never did. Maybe it was because he made the winning shot in last years tournament and Ino had complimented him. It might have sparked his desire to stay around.

"What were you doing anyways?" Naruto asked, pushing the cart of basketballs onto the court.

"Just heard the girls music and wondered if they were doing a new routine." He shrugged, it was half the truth and half a lie.

Naruto raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to say something, but the shrill, sharp blow of a whistle cut him off. They both flinched and looked over to Coach Guy, dressed in his ridiculous green onesie.

"Nara, go get dressed!" Coach Guy commanded. "The rest of you, suicide runs. Let's go!"

Shikamaru turned toward the locker rooms. When he was about to walk down the hall, he spotted Ino at the water fountain filling up her purple bottle. They were in different crowds at school, she was the popular pretty girl and he was the ordinary, lazy guy. It didn't change the fact they were neighbors, their dad's were best friends, and they grew up together. She was friendly toward him, saying a casual 'hello' now and again. In elementary school they were quite close, but somewhere around seventh grade they stopped hanging out and talking.

"Hey Shikamaru," Ino said, smiling. "Late for practice again."

He rubbed the back of his neck and laughed. "I keep saying I'm gonna quit, but never seem to."

Ino screw the top of her water bottle on and tilted her head like a curious puppy. "You shouldn't quit, you've put so much work into it."

Shikamaru pursed his lips and nodded. "I guess I have."

"I'm serious." Ino placed a manicured hand on her hip. "You have to stop being so lazy. You're really smart, but that laziness is gonna bite you in the ass one day."

"It already has," he said with a smile. "Too lazy to quit."

Ino giggled and shook her head. She brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear and sighed. "You're incorrigible."

"Guilty."

"Ino! Come on!" Sakura Haruno poked her head out of the studio. "We're waiting."

"Coming!" Ino chirped without looking away from Shikamaru. "I'll see you."

Shikamaru nodded. "Yeah, see you."

She was gone and the dance team's studio door closed, leaving him alone in the main foyer. The sharp blast of the whistle and the squeaking of tennis shoes on the court broke him from his daze. He sauntered off toward the boys locker room, hands shoved in his pockets, messenger bag bouncing against his thigh, and eyes gazing at the stained concrete floor.

Those were their basic conversations now, a two minute conversation a few times a week. Nothing fancy, he liked to call them 'weather talks' those awkward and painfully boring conversations that never furthered more than 'hey, how you doing' and 'it's good to see you'. People drifted apart, he understood that, but it didn't change the fact he missed Ino.

Sure, she was annoying and frustrating, but she had her funny moments and she always liked keeping him company. When they were children, she'd make flower crowns while he would cloud watch. It was a common ritual, something they did every Sunday afternoon. All that was a long time ago though, they were seniors in high school, nearing their adult lives. To his knowledge when senior year was over, Ino was moving away to Suna University. Chances were he'd never see her again.

Shikamaru shut his locker and made his way back to the court. He'd already been ten minutes late, but he was relieved he'd got to miss the suicide runs. Coach Guy would probably give him a lecture about being on time and being youthful and all that other puke worthy stuff.

-xXx-

On weekends Shikamaru liked to do two things: video games or nap. Somehow he had gotten dragged to a party. He didn't like parties, mostly because they were loud and people were obnoxious. Sai, Ino's boyfriend, was on the one who was throwing the party, and for no other reason other than his parents were out of town for the weekend.

Music was blaring, people were drinking, making out on the couch, and others were doing cannonballs into the pool. Shikamaru weaved through a crowd of people, heading for the front door. He'd long since lost Naruto and Chouji, and he didn't feel like swimming through people to find them.

He reached the front door, but the moment his hand landed on the handle, Kiba Inuzuka came over and slung an arm around his shoulders. "Leaving so soon, Shikamaru?"

"Just have to make a phone call," Shikamaru lied, hoping Kiba was tipsy enough to buy it. Of course, Kiba was a party animal, so chances were he would ignore the question and say something else.

"Don't be so boring," Kiba said, poking Shikamaru's chest. "This is senior year, our last chance to party."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "You and I both know, you'll still party even after high school."

Kiba laughed and slapped Shikamaru's back, nearly causing him to topple over. "You're right, but this is our last chance with this people." He spun them around, gesturing to everyone in the living room and foyer.

Shikamaru sighed, and spotted Ino pushing her way down the stairs and toward the front door. Her face was paler than usual and it appeared as though she was trying not to cry. When she made it to the door, she fumbled with the handle before managing to get it open. Something was wrong, Ino never left parties early, especially when it was her own boyfriend's.

"Okay, Kiba," Shikamaru said. "Let's play some beer pong, why don't you set up a game?"

Kiba's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Those are fightin' words, dude."

"You game or not?" Shikamaru needed him to take the bait.

"You're on!" Kiba crowed with laughter and let go of Shikamaru.

Sighing in relief, Shikamaru darted for the front door before anyone else could stop him. When he was out on the porch, he looked around for Ino. Several people were hanging on the porch, chatting away, but it was no one he knew. The pounding music was muffled, along with the screams and cheers of people from the backyard. It wouldn't be long before the neighbors called to complain, it was already 11:30. He was surprised they'd made it this far without the cops coming.

Shikamaru trotted down the front porch steps and walked onto the grass. He looked left and then right, wondering which way Ino would have gone. They weren't in their neighborhood, but the way home was to the right. It was better than standing around and wondering, so he went right.

He wasn't sure what he would say once he found her. It was late though and the walk to their neighborhood was about four miles away. He wished he had taken his car, but instead he'd gotten a ride with Naruto. Shikamaru reached the end of the block and crossed the street to the left. About halfway down the main road of the neighborhood, he spotted Ino's silhouette. He debated if he should call her name or run up to her. Running would probably scare her, so he cleared his throat and decided to call out.

"Ino!" He continued walking as he called her name. "Hey!"

She stopped and slowly turned around, wiping her cheeks. They were in between street lights, so it was hard to see all the details, but there was a gleam of tear stains. Shikamaru fought of the urge to frown.

"Is everything okay?" he asked.

Ino nodded. "Mhmm, yep."

It was a lie, but he decided not to push. Sometimes it was better not to pry. If Ino wanted to tell him what was wrong, she would. Shikamaru nodded in the direction of their neighborhood. "Wanna walk with me?"

Ino took in a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah, sure."

The walk was quiet at first, but Shikamaru didn't mind. A few cars passed by as they walked along the sidewalk, side by side, neither saying a word. His hands were shoved into the pockets of his jeans like usual and Ino's hung loosely at her sides. She wasn't crying anymore, but it looked like she still wanted too. They reached a main intersection. Shikamaru bumped the pedestrian signal with his palm, and glanced at Ino. Her back was too him and she was wiping her face. He assumed it was a futile attempt to fix her mascara.

The light changed, allowing them passage to walk. Car headlights illuminated their path as they jogged across and ende dup in the parking lot of a strip center. Shikamaru gazed at the signs above the shops, there was a craft store, a liquor store, a laundromat, a pharmacy, and a convenience store at the end. The parking lot was empty aside from a few parked cars, but aside from the two of them it was a ghost town.

"Can you believe in three months school will be over?" Ino asked, her voice soft and a little stuffy. Her nose was a little red and her eyes puffy.

Shikamaru shook his head. "Not really, but I'm glad it'll be over."

"Are you leaving for university?" She glanced at him, her blue eyes gleaming in the fluorescent streetlights.

He shook his head. "Staying here, so I guess it won't be much of a change for me."

Ino chuckled. "Too lazy to move?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "To lazy to apply."

"What? You mean no one came after you with your high scores?" Ino raised an eyebrow at him. "I know in class you are a luzy bum, but I know for test you are always in the top five."

He hadn't realized she'd paid that much attention to him. Of course, Ino was a busybody and knew everyone's business. Aside from being the dance team captain, she was also the head of yearbook, and she was also apart of the student council. Sometimes, Shikamaru felt like Ino didn't know how to just relax. She was always involved in something.

"You're going to Suna University, right?" Shikamaru asked, trying to pull the spotlight off of him.

"Yeah, I'm really excited I got accepted." Ino smiled, doing a little skip over some cracks in the sidewalk. "I'm ready to get the hell out of here."

Shikamaru nodded. "What are you going to study?" He knew she was going to Suna, but he wasn't sure what she was majoring in. Fashion, perhaps? Ino loved fashion and design.

"This might surprise you, but I want to teach." Ino brushed her hair behind her ear and shrugged.

"Teach?" Shikamaru would have listed that as the last thing he expected from her. Not that he believed she was incapable, but Ino had never shown an interest in kids.

Ino giggled. "I know, surprising."

Shikamaru hung back when the sidewalk got narrow due to a large tree. "So what grade do you wanna teach?"

"Elementary first," Ino explained, clasping her hands behind her back. "Somewhere where there's a real need, you know?"

Shikamaru met her eyes and nodded. "And then?"

"Then I want to go into developmental psychology." Ino had everything planned out, of course he expected that from her. She had a list of things she wanted to do and when she wanted to do them by. When they were kids it was a vague list, and he hadn't seen it since they were ten. He imagined she had a lot of amendments made since the first one.

"You really have it all planned out. You know exactly what you want to do, don't you?" He asked when they rounded the corner. They were halfway to their neighborhood.

"Yeah." She paused and stopped walking. "But things don't always work out the way you plan or hope." Her eyes drifted to the park across the street. It was the same park they used to hang out as when they were kids.

"Something not going according to your list?" Shikamaru asked, staring at her.

Ino blinked and met his gaze. "You remember my list?"

He nodded. "Of course, you revised it just about everyday."

The two of them laughed.

"Let's go swing for a bit," Ino suggested, nodding her head toward the park. "Do you mind?"

Shikamaru was surprised. He hadn't anticipated her wanting to spend time with him. It just wasn't something they did anymore. But he wasn't about to refuse either. "I could go for a swing."

Ino smiled at him. "I'll race you."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Do you know who you're talking too?"

"You're telling me all those suicide runs-"

Shikamaru darted across the street.

"Hey! That's cheating!"

"No, it's strategy," Shikamaru laughed when he reached the swingset, panting.

Ino shook her head and placed her hands on her hips. She waved the matter off and took a seat on the swing. "Why haven't you asked me why I left yet?"

He sat on the swing next to her, gazing at the green and gray jungle gym across from them. "I figured you would tell me about it if you wanted too, it's not really my business anyways."

She didn't say anything.

"We aren't in the same circles anymore."

Ino bit the inside of her cheek. "I guess we have drifted apart."

"It's fine." He grabbed the chains of the swing and pushed off with his feet. "We both seemed to have done okay."

Ino rubbed her forearm. "I always liked you, Shikamaru."

He planted his feet, stopping from swinging and stared at her with a furrowed brow. "What do you mean?"

She sighed and stood, turning to face him. Their eyes locked for a moment, only chirping crickets filling the silence around them. "You were a good friend, even when I annoyed you, you didn't do or say anything mean."

Shikamaru tilted his head. A fluttering feeling took over his chest and his palms became clammy. "Why would I?"

"Sai did." Ino hugged herself. "That's why I left."

Shikamaru wasn't sure whether he should ask what happen or console her. Before he could even make his decision, Ino walked over to the jungle gym. She stood beneath the metal monkey bars and stared at them. Shikamaru stood from the swing as Ino grabbed the bars and heaved herself up. She had always been the athletic sort, lean build, slender, attractive physique in his opinion. Pulling herself through the bars, Ino sat on top and looked down at him. She fixed her purple plaid flannel shirt that rested over a white tank top and matching white shorts with beaded flipflops.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Shikamaru asked, standing across from her.

Ino licked her lips. "He got mad cause I wouldn't sleep with him."

His body tensed and he could feel his face heating. Sai got mad at Ino because she wouldn't sleep with him? In all honesty, Shikamaru didn't figure that Sai was the type to put pressure on a girl. For the most part, Sai was always so polite and most students in their class liked him.

"I mean, I get it." Ino was crying, her voice cracking. "We've been together for almost a year. We should sleep together."

Shikamaru frowned and shook his head. "No, Ino. You should do that when you're ready. No one should pressure you into that."

Ino gave him a watery smile. "Thanks, Shika."

He nodded to her and said nothing more, he didn't need too.