09 July 2013

the love theorem
by: theSincerities

When it came to love, no one knew love better than Ino and Shikamaru.

Love with all you've got.

Ino was an impulsive woman, Shikamaru figured one morning when he awoke to his mother's hardened voice, following by Ino's peppy self bursting through his door with his cat, Mochi, at her heel. He awoke fully to a face full of flowers and an entirely overjoyed Ino, who screamed "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" before sitting beside him and pulling him tightly into her arms.

"You're officially one day older than me, again!" she crooned, face brighter than the sunrays peeking through his windowpane.

Thankfully, he had managed to murmur a groggy "thank you" before enduring another squeal and tug. She smelled of freshly picked lemongrass and mint and that's when he noted the steaming cup of tea by his nightstand.

When she finally let go, he sighed and rubbed at the back of his neck, smiling. When it came to showing how much you care about someone, Ino fought hard to leave a mark.

Love blindly.

"How can you stand to be around me all the time?" he had found himself asking one afternoon.

Ino blinked from her spot on the daisy field, never once leaving sight of the clouds blowing with the wind. When she didn't reply, he nudged her with his leg, urging her to look at him, at least.

"You've told me millions of times how much of a bum I am, how lazy and unproductive I am, yet you still find it in you to always agree to walk around with me and stay near me. Why?"

She chuckled and turned onto her side, facing him like he wanted her to. Then, deciding it wasn't enough, she pulled herself close enough to rest her head on his lap. She still didn't reply, but instead stared past his toes and over the horizon of the bright blue sky. When she began to fumble unconsciously with the fabric of his training pants, she began to speak.

"Why do you always invite me to places with you if you say I'm nothing but a babbling nag?"

He smirked and answered easily.

"Because, without you, I wouldn't have anyone to keep me on my toes."

"Well, without you, I wouldn't have anyone to waste time with," she replied, smiling.

"I thought you hated wasting time," he retorted, now focusing on her as she pulled at a few sprigs of grass before letting them sprinkle over his right leg and into the wind."

"Not if it's with you."

Shikamaru scoffed half-heartedly before running a hand through her bangs, brushing them out of her eyes as she now rested her head fully onto his lap and looked up at him.

"As long as it's not on a mission, I enjoy wasting time with you, just like we are right now."

Ino was the first person Shikamaru could call troublesome and still yearn to be around, and that was because she taught him how to oversee flaws and turn them into strengths.

Love unconditionally.

"I'm sorry I forgot to stop by last night. Choji asked me to help him out with a barbeque he and his family was having and I ended up staying longer than I expected."

He always found himself feeling guilty when couldn't stop by the flower shop before closing time. It had become such a routine to visit, that one faltered day made it feel like the night had ended with something missing.

"Don't worry about it. My dad and I spent the evening making dinner together like old times." Ino turned away from the ribbons she had been replacing by the back counter and caught his eye. "Plus, you're here now, aren't you?"

He smirked. "I guess so, yeah."

"Then that's all that matters!"

Love, above all things.

"You're such a nuisance sometimes, you know that?"

"Yeah, well you yell too much."

"Well, you're the one who does things that are just asking for you to be yelled at!"

They fought so frequently that many would question whether or not they even had tender moments together. Ino would be too busy raising her voice (and broom), while Shikamaru would be off ignoring her with his back to her, pacing around the shop with his hands in his pockets. Eventually Ino would kick him out for the rest of the day, and Shikamaru would leave without a word, nonchalantly whistling his way down the village.

Then, by the very end of the day, just as Ino would be setting up for closing time, he would peak his head past the doorway and watch as she would pull the curtains and clear the check counter. When she'd finally glance at the entrance and find him leaning against it, she'd give him a tiny smile and he'd take the cue to walk into the shop again and closing the door behind him.

"I'm sorry," he'd say in almost a whisper, kissing her forehead and pulling back with deep sincerity in his expression.

–and even if he hadn't been at fault, he'd still apologize for the sake of mending things between them. Then, once she'd have flipped the OPEN sign to CLOSED, she'd walk past him, first kissing him on the cheek before saying, "Me too."

Fall in love.

They were always by one-another's side, and there came a time where Shikamaru would visit her often at night after her father had passed away. They would lay together in the bare darkness of streaming moonlight, inhaling the sweet vanilla incense burning in her room. Her head lay cradled perfectly over his arm and shoulder, and he'd rest his head on hers as she began to drift to sleep.

Sometimes they'd talk softly as the night would drag on, and Ino would find herself pouring out her every thought as Shikamaru listened. Then, she would glance up at him, inwardly admiring the silhouette of his maturing face.

From children to late-adolescences, they had seen each other grow. Now Shikamaru's jaw curved and squared and Ino's angled softly. His broadened hands ran smoothly over her waist, pulling her closer, and hers cradled his head when she'd steal a coy kiss on the nose.

They were each other's company, and they fell asleep easily by each other's side compared to the nights where they slept in the distance of their beds.

As expected, the night never went without the wavering tinge of their soluble "I love you's."

When they least expected it, Shikamaru had fallen in love with Ino, and Ino with Shikamaru. At this time, no one knew love like they did.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

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note1. A story about love, because love is truly a beautiful thing (when you're not hurting). I've come to really enjoy writing ShikaIno :)

Disclaimer: Credit for Naruto goes to Masashi Kishimoto.