Not So Troublesome

It was well past midnight in Konoha, but Shikamaru was not asleep.

He was, however, perched atop a hill toward the outskirts of town, away from the light so that he could see the constellations better.

"Can't sleep?" Ino's voice, softer than usual, met his ears.

Shikamaru shook his head. "Too troublesome."

Not even bothering to ask, Ino sat down next to him, hugging her knees to her chest. "I miss him, too."

Letting out a long sigh, Shikamaru finally asked, "What makes you think that this is about him?"

"Don't play dumb, Shikamaru. Very few people miss him more than you." Ino pushed a strand of blond hair behind her ear as the wind picked up. "When I was little, my parents told me that the dead are among the stars, watching over us. Is that why—"

"You're being troublesome, Ino. I'm not out here because of that!" He would never admit it to her, because she would just rub it in his face. It was better just to get on with life.

Ino's volume and pitch climbed. "Fine, then! Disrespect the memory of the man who made you who you are! If you can't admit that you miss him, he can't be at peace! You're the one who's being troublesome, Shikamaru. How can you expect to console others if you won't let them console you?"

Shikamaru finally sat up and turned to look at her. "Kurenai needs someone strong now. To break in front of her would—"

"Would show that you care, that you understand! You might not get a second chance! If you went on a mission tomorrow and…" Ino trailed off. "If you…" she could not bring herself to finish the sentence that had haunted her since the Forest of Death, when the forest's namesake had so nearly become a reality. "If that were to happen…"

"It wouldn't," Shikamaru decided. "I wouldn't let it. I have too much to stick around for."

"Is it troublesome? Asuma's last wish?" Ino prodded, her voice getting softer again. "You can't move on until you let yourself go, Shikamaru."

She was quiet for a while. Shikamaru looked over and realized that she was crying. She was not just bitching at him this time— she meant it.

"You're being troublesome. Come here." Shikamaru opened his arms reluctantly. He did not like it when people cried in general—the noise was annoying—but there was something else inside of him that twinged whenever Ino did it. As she awkwardly leaned against him, he realized that this was the first time he actually held her. It was not just catching her body as her spirit left it, or keeping her from falling in battle, but really holding her.

As Ino continued to cry softly, sobs causing her to shudder every once and a while, she clung to the back of Shikamaru's shirt, letting him pat her back and give her hair a few short strokes. It was a little embarrassing, losing it in front of him like that, but it was making him realize something. Even though he was not natural or smooth about it, he was comforting her the way he could.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a drop of water hitting her ear. The sky had been clear when she had come, and she had seen the stars through her tears, which could mean only one thing. She stilled herself for as long as she could, and she felt—and heard—it: Shikamaru's soft sob.

Ino pushed back, wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her pajama top. It was her turn to be of comfort. She knelt next to Shikamaru so that he had something to lean against and gently put her arms around him, mildly surprised when she felt his arms around her waist.

Even as the tears came and Shikamaru unwillingly let them go, Ino could hear him whisper, "So damn troublesome." She decided she would let it go for tonight.

If holding Ino had been a surprising experience, being held by her was shocking. He could feel the muscles tensed to keep her up, the side of his head against her chest, listening to her heart. As he breathed, he could smell the lavender she used undoubtedly on nights like this, when sleeping was hard. Already, he was relaxing a little. He had to be awake enough to get home, so he slowly moved away, grabbing one of Ino's hands and gently giving it a squeeze.

"Thank you."

Ino's small gasp, though she tried to hide it, was audible. She nodded. "Thank you."

"Let's go back." Still holding Ino's hand, Shikamaru stood and waited until Ino was up to start walking.

"Shikamaru… I'm really sorry."

"For what?"

"For not having the strength to heal him."

Shikamaru stopped he tugged her wrist so that she turned to face him. He placed his free hand on her shoulder and met her questioning gaze with his own level, serious one. "I'm glad you didn't try. Konoha couldn't handle losing the both of you. I couldn't, either. It'd be—"

"Troublesome?" Ino interrupted, annoyed.

"Devastating," Shikamaru finished.

Ino's gasp was louder this time, cut off as Shikamaru's lips brushed against hers for the briefest of seconds. Her eyes closed of their own accord, and she wished that they were anywhere but in the street in the middle of the night.

"Good night, Ino."

By the time she opened her eyes, he had vanished into the shadows.

Still, she couldn't help but whisper, "Good night, Shikamaru." Then, she looked up at the sky.

Did I do right by you?

The star she was looking at seemed to shine just a little bit brighter.

END

A/N: An old one. The question now is, did I do right by you guys? I made little edits for spelling, grammar, and characterization, but I haven't written for these two in a while, so it might be a little weird. I also don't pay much attention to the series in general, so if this clashes with something else… well, it's called fanfiction for a reason.

I hope you enjoyed this! Reviews are used to make this and other pieces better, so tell me what stays and what should go!