Ino stared as the shadow user walked closer to her, breathing his name as she blinked widely
"Ino, I’ve made my decision."
She gulped, her throat constricting as he took a little step towards her, her heart beating so fast she felt it might leap out of her chest.
Shikamaru looked her straight in the eyes. She noticed that he wasn't putting much weight on his left leg. Her gaze swept over him once, before she looked right back at him.
"You're late." she said simply, her voice sounding more confident than she felt.
Shikamaru smiled softly, blinking slowly and then looking at her again, "I know." he said.
Before Ino could open her mouth to say something else, the boy held his hand up, signalling for her to let him speak. A blush rose upon her cheeks, as she looked down at the ground, suddenly very interested in his feet, it seemed.
"Please, I need to tell you. I've made my decision. And..."
Suddenly this seemed the hardest thing he'd ever done, as he stood before her, radiant in the moonlight, a breeze blowing through her hair. He needed to tell her this, more than anything, before it ate away at his insides, but right now it was a more difficult task than any mission he'd ever been on. Ino stood expectantly, her eyes wide. She looked as if she anticipated bad news.
Shikamaru paused, with the words on his lips, wondering how exactly to say it, how to put it all into words. He'd never been one for long speeches anyway.
Ino waited patiently on front of him, her eyes darting up to his face, and then down to his feet again as he appeared to struggle with saying something. Her stomach felt as if it had dropped suddenly as her mind clamoured with conflicting thoughts: he'll confess his love, he'll reject you, he'll confess his love, he'll reject you...
The seconds seemed to stretch on forever as she stood in the chilly night air, within touching distance of the one person she wanted to hold, more than anything in the world.
Shikamaru closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and then looking at the Yamanaka again. He haltingly stepped forwards until there was barely anything between them at all. He felt sure that she could hear his heart beating. Slowly, he raised his hand, his slender finger reaching out to her. He wasn't sure what he was doing, but for once...
For once, he hadn't planned for this to happen.
Ino sighed as Shikamaru trailed a finger gently down her cheek, his skin surprisingly soft. She looked up at him, her eyes silently questioning him. He looked back, smiling at her as he cupped her chin with his hand, drawing her closer.
Does this mean...?
"Shikamaru..."
He held her face in his hands, as he leant down, his face now level with her own.
"I've always planned for everything." he said in a voice that was barely a whisper. "From what I am going to do on a mission, to my daily routine. It's always planned. I'm a strategist. It's what I do. But this...this wasn't planned."
He inched closer, his nose now almost touching the tip of hers. She stared back at him as he spoke, her hands on his arms as his hands were still either side of her face.
Ino was frozen, rooted to the spot, not knowing what to say. For a usually outspoken person, this was unusual to say the least. He was so close, and obviously on the verge of saying something, but...
A mischievous smile appeared on her face as she leant forwards, and then without a word planted a small kiss upon Shikamaru's lips.
She pulled away from him, watching him closely.
He put his hand to his mouth, touching his lips, where hers had been. They tingled slightly. Maybe actions spoke louder than words. He took a large step forwards to where she had backed away, wincing as he put all his weight onto the forgotten ankle. His leg crumpled a little. Ino ran towards him, helping him regain his balance.
"Are you okay?" she asked, sitting him down on the ground at the base of the tree.
"Yes. I-uh...I sprained my ankle. I was um, rushing to get here..."
Ino's eyes widened. Rushing? Shikamaru?
He smiled wryly, seeing her expression.
"I had so much I wanted to say, but when it came down to it, I was tongue-tied." he said, as she sat herself next to him.
"It's okay Shikamaru. I know."
"You do?"
Ino nodded, "I told you. I didn't want a bunch of promises. I don't want meaningless words or a speech. I just want...some kind of sign I suppose." She smiled at him, breaking into a laugh. "And I think you rushing is enough of a sign for me."
Shikamaru lifted his arm hesitantly, before placing it around her. She sighed contentedly, relaxing as she rested her head upon his shoulder. They sat and looked out at Konoha as it continued with its evening. The Nara looked down at his teammate as she smiled to herself, and his heart fluttered. Maybe with emotions, it was best to just let what will happen, happen. Ino turned to him, her face a few centimetres from his.
Her lips parted as she leant in, and he almost melted as their mouths met in a kiss. So simple an action, so sweet, yet so meaningful. His whole body felt warm as she broke away again, looking at him shyly. He sighed, taking her hand in his.
"Ino, I won't make you any stupid promises, but I'll tell you my decision anyway. I want to...try with you. To see where this takes us."
Ino nodded, squeezing his hand in her own.
He smiled back at her, breathing deeply before saying those words he'd worried about for so long.
"Yamanaka Ino. I-uh...I..." he gulped,
"I love you."
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Chapter notes: So here we go. final chapter. yay! *dances around* a really special thankyou to S_a_B for being awesome and letting me reply to their letters. I've had a lot of fun doing this, and hope we can write more together too =D