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It had been three whole years since Uchiha had run away from Konoha. Three years since the near-disastrous ‘rescue’ mission Shikamaru had been assigned, that bitter baptism of fire that officially began his career as a chuunin. And it had only been during the last three months with the fierce battle against Akatsuki and Orochimaru that the knowledge of his whereabouts finally reached his old friends, and the slimmest ray of hope for his return had been extended – and cruelly snatched away, by his own hand.
Yet somehow against all odds and all logic… Sasuke had come back home again. Perhaps it was primarily due to luck, or disillusionment, or even a good measure of Sasuke’s own perverse willfulness. Most definitely much of it had to do with Naruto’s equally single-minded stubbornness. But whatever the reason, Sasuke had parted ways with Orochimaru and had been welcomed back into the fold, and Naruto had finally made good on his promise to Sakura.
And just like that, things returned to a surreal imitation of what they had been before he’d left. It seemed not to matter how many lives had been damaged by Uchiha’s selfish actions – only the fact that the ‘incomparable Sasuke’ was within reach again… Funny how little some things changed.
Shikamaru was sick of it.
Tonight he was waiting patiently in an alley that fed into a quiet, deserted street – the one that led to the apartment where Sasuke lived. He’d already been there for close to an hour when he finally spotted his target: a willowy figure with long, blonde hair who suddenly appeared on the corner. She seemed to hesitate for a few moments, and then she began walking down the sidewalk with a determined strut. Shikamaru waited until she’d gone past before emerging from the shadows behind her.
“Where are you going all by yourself tonight, Ino?”
Starting guiltily, Ino whipped back around.
“Shikamaru…” she breathed. The shocked expression in her eyes quickly turned into anger. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m just going for a walk. That’s all.”
Drawing close to her, Shikamaru scowled. She had always been a bad liar. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. Ino could lie like the devil whenever she was employing her arts as a spy. But even with her considerable skills she’d never been able to pull the wool over Shikamaru’s eyes – he could always see right through her. Especially when the truth was so painfully obvious…
“Dressed up like that? So late at night on a street far from home?” He gave a sardonic chuckle. “Try me again.”
Ino bristled. She crossed her arms defensively as she shot Shikamaru a frosty glare. “If you must know, I’m going to see Sasuke.”
“Don’t you really mean you’re going to crash his date with Sakura?”
“It’s not a date!” she cried hotly. “Sakura just wishes that it was!”
“No, maybe it’s not,” he agreed quietly. “But that doesn’t mean they couldn’t use the private time together – especially after all they’ve been through. You should respect that, Ino.”
Her face crumpling into a petulant frown, Ino turned angrily away from him. “Why should I? It’s not like there’s anything special between them!”
“Huh. Sometimes a ‘special’ thing can exist between two people without its being openly acknowledged.” His voice now carried an edge of hurt. “And it’s not good to toy with someone’s feelings.”
Ino swung back to face Shikamaru, looking deeply stung. “I’m not playing games. I do care about –!” She cut herself off abruptly, a flustered expression washing over her face. Then with an angry blush she looked down quickly. “…about him.”
“Oh, you supposedly care so much for him that you’ll throw everything else away? No matter whom it hurts?” Overcome with frustration, Shikamaru reached out to grab her arm. “Look at me, Ino!”
Raising her head to meet his gaze, Ino jutted out her chin stubbornly. Her eyes were alight with a determined fire. “All is fair in love and war,” she answered defiantly.
“Is it?” Shikamaru muttered in a low, dangerous tone. “In that case, I’ll show you a thing or two about war…”
Perhaps it was anger that drove him. Perhaps it was something else. At that moment Shikamaru no longer cared about the ‘shoulds’ and ‘should nots’ that normally ruled his actions. He seized Ino by her shoulders and pressed her roughly back against the wall. Before she could do so much as cry out, he had trapped her mouth in his. Levering her open, he drove a fiery kiss into her that soon had her writhing weakly in his arms. Shikamaru felt grim satisfaction: Ino’s lips might say one thing, but her body never lied…
He broke the kiss at last and leaned back to examine her face as she blinked up at him. Her eyes were frightened.
“I don’t want to lose out to Sakura, Shikamaru,” she pleaded softly. “I just can’t.”
His grip on her tightened.
“And I’ll never lose out to Sasuke, Ino,” he promised quietly. “I absolutely won’t.”