Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto

Best of Me © inogirl13

(Inspiration from The Best of Me by The Starting Line)

Best of Me

Chapter One

How could I have not told daddy about us? God, this is so awkward. Why is he just staring at me like that? Doesn't he know we're broken up? Of course, he does. So, why does he keep looking at me!? Go, to bed, lazy ass. However, here I am contemplating him. Maybe he's doing the same thing. Although, who could ever tell anything he's thinking by looking into those deep, mysterious eyes.

Lying here, in two separate beds—by the order of our parents—I wonder: does he feel the deprivation? The craving for lips against his own? The desire for skin under his fingers? Like me. Does he feel me wanting him? Because I do. So much. I wish we had never broken up. I wish even more that my parents had been by our side through the whole thing. Imagine going through heartbreak with your 'rents oblivious to anything being wrong. Even my dad didn't sense anything. Why did we have to keep breaking up a secret? Probably because Shikamaru knew daddy would kill him for tearing my heart in two. Which he did, by the way. Very much so.

God, I wish he'd go to bed. The more he stares at me like that, the more I think of what we could be doing right now. Obviously, it's out of the question. No, I won't be the instant satisfaction rebound, only to be left behind, again. But it would be too extraordinary to just climb into bed with him like I used to every night.

I began to feel my cheeks turn red under the embarrassing silence. We'd talked about various things. The Village, how everyone is doing, the weather: everything avoiding our current relationship status. But now the conversation had gone dead. I took that as 'I'm going to sleep now.' But, apparently, Shikamaru didn't get the memo. HE WAS STILL LYING THERE: STARING!!!
My head was screaming: "Stop!! Just stop stirring up those old emotions!! God, why do I let you do this to me!!?" I was about two seconds away from forcing him to sleep downstairs on the couch, but he spoke.

"So, tell me." He paused, as if turning over in his head the decision to talk. I couldn't make out the details of him. Only a slightly grey shadow. My fingers gripped the rough blankets that my parents considered comfortable. The length of his pause made me worry. But the irrational part of my brain was thinking maybe he would take me back.

Finally, he spoke up, in a whisper.

"What have you thought about while I was gone?" Not the exact question I was expecting. Is it rhetorical? Should I wait for him to keep talking? How do I even answer that honestly without sounding totally pathetic and depressed!?

Well go ahead, Ino. Answer.

You."Well…Sasuke-kun, of course!" I put on a cheery smile to lighten the awkward blanket that settled on us. Even though it was dark, I could sort of see him furrow his brow. Was he angry? I mean, I know he's always hated Sasuke, but could he actually be mad that I think about him? Well, that's a lie. I stopped caring about Sasuke years ago. It's all ancient history. Besides, I only shouted my love for him to the world so that I could keep up with Sakura. Forehead girl would never let me live it down if she beat me at something—anything!

But I digress, what was that look on his face? He's actually showing an emotion, but I can't tell what it is! Anger? Sadness? What!? What?

"What's that look for?" I whispered in the dark. My parent's room was right next to the one we were in; I didn't want to wake them.

"Seriously, Ino? You need to get off of him. He doesn't deserve you." I could feel blood rush to my cheeks at this statement. What was it about Shikamaru that made my stomach do somersaults? We've been broken up for months and I still get all weak in the knees whenever he's around (which was quite often considering my parents consistently arranged dinners, thinking we were still "an item").

This cannot turn into a late night "pour-your-heart-out" visit. Keep it professional, Ino.

"I can have any guy I want, and he's the guy I want." I heard him sigh, really loud. His blankets rustled. Was he leaving? That would make sleep a hell of a lot easier.

He did, in fact, get up. He paused at my bed before grabbing a pillow and walking out of the room. I heaved a deep breath and finally got some sleep.

The next morning was only one awkward particle in a sea of embarrassment and heartbreak. I was in the kitchen making myself an egg while Shikamaru and my parents sat in the living room. I couldn't see, but I could hear. I couldn't decide if it would have been worse to see them, too.

"So, Shikamaru. We hear so much about you. Ino just goes on and on; 'Shikamaru this, Shikamaru that!'" False. My mother giggled as she spoke this. I could picture her face: lines rolling up on her forehead and around her lips as she twirled her white blond (almost turning grey) hair.

'Hn.' I could almost bet that's what Shikamaru would say, probably sensing that was a lie, followed by my father sighing at his impoliteness. Daddy had just gotten used to our relationship before we broke up. He had finally accepted that we were together and then…well I don't have to say it, do I?

But I digress, I prepared myself for Shikamaru's unflattering response, but what came next surprised me.

"So then she must have told you about my next mission," My mother inserted an interested "Oh!"

"I leave in two days." What!? Shikamaru—leaving! I could barely take that once. In fact, that's why we broke up! In fact, in fact, that's why he's here! My parents wanted to celebrate his homecoming by having him stay with us at a lodge! And now he's leaving again! I couldn't bare it!

I got so flustered that I slammed my fist down in frustration. How could he be so inconsiderate?! He knows I hate it when he leaves—

"Ino, darling! Your hand!" My mother screamed as I looked down at my extremity. The outside rim of my pinkie to my wrist was hot and throbbing, slowly turning to pink, then red. Only then did I feel the pain. I looked back up at my parents, staring at me in a panic, and Shikamaru, not relaying any emotion at all. Typical, I thought. He doesn't even care if I burn to death.

"Hurry, Inoichi. Run some cold water!" My dad started towards me, but Shikamaru laid his hand in front daddy's chest, stopping him.

Great, he's just going to let me stand here and burn... Wait, why is he coming towards me? I thought.

I furrowed my brow followed by a wince at the rush of air that graced my hand as Shikamaru led me to the hall bathroom. It was only a half bath, so we had to squeeze in. He shut the door; I shut my eyes at the pain. Why would he close the door? Why wouldn't he use the kitchen sink that was right there at the scene of the crime? Why did he—

"Ino, this has got to stop." He spoke in the tenderest voice I'd ever heard come out of him. I moaned in confusion, and agony.

"This thing with your parents. We can't lead them on any longer. We have to tell them. I don't care how much your dad hurts me, we're leading them down the primrose path, and they don't deserve it. I'm leaving soon, and we can't have them on this train of thought for another year." He grabbed my hand and gently held it under the cold water. I gripped his shirt with my uninjured hand, partly out of the pain, but mostly out of shock. He'd be gone for a year!? And if he told my parents, he'd leave. I couldn't let this happen. How would I exist without him for 12 months!?

My body moved quicker than my brain and I yanked him down by his shirt, planting my lips on his. It felt so wonderful to be in that familiar position. The grassy smell of him from all those years of lying on the hills, watching the clouds. The feel of his lips on mine, and his tongue playing with my own. It was better than drugs. I never wanted to let this go. But my hand…I needed to scream from this pain. But his lips…I needed to stay in this moment. Torture overtook ecstasy and I released my lips from his, instantly letting out a tormented scream and then the tears. How could I bear this pain much longer? Shikamaru's leaving in two days and my hand is numb. I fell limp on the bathroom floor, pulling Shikamaru down with me. I knew it would only be a few more seconds before my parents came rushing in. Now or never.

"Shikamaru. I need you…" I sighed before finally letting him go and cradling my throbbing hand and aching heart. I didn't even hear the door burst open, or feel my dad carry me upstairs.

I felt a smooth hand caress my cheek. It was dark as I awoke from my slumber. The curtains were closed in the room, and little cracks of light shone out from the uncovered parts of the window. I sighed, "Shikamaru…" Turning my head to the owner of the hand that was patting my head, I saw my mother.

"No, honey, he's downstairs with your father." Remembering the incident, I lifted my burnt hand. It was wrapped in bandages like the ones I wear. My mother must have noticed that I recognized them because she said, "We went through your suitcase and used some of your gauze, if that's alright. Your father didn't pack any bandages." I could see my mother roll her eyes as my own adjusted to the dark. Did Shikamaru leave? My confession wasn't exactly the most romantic. What if he thought I was pathetic? What if—

"Can I talk with her?" My mother's head snapped over to the door as she jumped at his sudden speech. She smiled, kissed my cheek and left. Great, alone with Shikamaru. He's probably going to tell me how stupid I've been acting.

"I leave tomorrow, you know." Tomorrow? I slept a whole day!? That's 24 hours I could have spent with Shikamaru, good moments or not. This weekend was sure going great. Just according to plan. I sat up in bed, a little too quickly because I got that whiplash feeling in the back of my head. But I wouldn't show Shikamaru that I'm still weak. No, I won't leave him with that opinion of me, not like I did before.

I ambled to the dresser in the front of the room and toyed with the radio, flipping through different stations. My pointer finger was two notches past 105.8 when my world froze. Maybe I was still asleep. No, this was definitely happening. His arms around my waist felt all too real.

"Do you know how many times I've thought about you saying you love me again?" He whispered into my ear before placing his lips gingerly down the nape of my neck. My legs went weak and I tilted my head back to lie on his shoulder. This sensation, this familiarity of being in his arms. It was too overwhelming. I needed him now, faster. I wanted to pick up at the level we left off. Fast, hard, passionate. I was past slow, gentle, and sweet. I turned around in his arms and leaned forward to kiss him, but he delicately placed his fore and middle finger on my lips, stopping me. What? Wasn't this what he wanted? I furrowed my brow. How anti-climactic.

He moved closer so not even a piece of paper could slip through us, and yet our lips hadn't touched.

His voice came out husky, and rough, "I want to see just how much you need me."

TBC

I'm so sorry. I was working on my KibaHina oneshot (called So Contagious btw) and I needed some ShikaIno time to balance out my psyche. Anyway this has one more chapter that will hopefully be up this week. Review?