Shove Over, Shikamaru!

Chapter 2

A while had passed, and Ino's heartwrenching sobs had turned into the occasional whimper. She lay limp in Shikamaru's arms, her head now rested on his shoulder, fingers fiddling absently with the torn piece of tissue paper in her hands.

Shikamaru had been stealing discreet glances at the clock on his wall all this while. His mother would be coming home anytime soon, and if she were to find a girl in his room at this hour--no matter who it was, he'd get hell from her for a month. Yet he couldn't chase Ino away, not now, at least. She was in dire need of emotional support, and had come to him for it. He wasn't one to turn people away, even if it was troublesome to help them think of solutions to their problems.

He knew that Ino was one who would bottle her feelings inside, and maintain her strong exterior all this while, no matter how much she hurt inside. Something very traumatic must have happened to shatter the protective shell she had built around herself.

As he stared at her hurriedly packed suitcase, he slowly began to pick the problem he now had on his hands, apart. She's probably run away from home, looking for someone to stay with. He scowled, and surmised that she was probably going to stay with him, if not until the storm in her life had blown over, then at least for the night. So. Something must've happened at home. Whatever it was, it upset her, and she suppressed her emotions until after Mom left. His heart went out to his ex-teammate. She had always wanted to be strong, and sometimes, he felt, her desire to appear resilient might have resulted in her hurting so much on the inside, simply because she was adamant about not revealing her inner, self-perceived weaker self.

He knew that time was slowly trickling away, but he could not force Ino to talk about her problem right then--it would surely result in her screaming about his being insensitive, and she would clam up further, and things would just get worse from there.

Thus, Shikamaru decided to take a gamble. There had been a few occasions when his mother had spent the night at the Akimichi's, too drunk to come home on her own. Desperately, he prayed that tonight would be another of those nights. Then, he would have all the time tonight to hear out Ino's woes. Right now, his duty was merely to be there for her; when she felt like it, she would speak up.

And she did, eventually, between choked-back sobs.

"Shikamaru?"

"Hm?"

"Have you ever felt that you weren't loved, and that the people around you were totally blind to your feelings? Have you?" She didn't wait for an answer; she was not expecting one anyway. "You know, my mom can be such an ass sometimes. She doesn't understand me, but she pretends and acts like she does. What's more, she expects me to listen to her every command. I don't even have enough time to myself between missions as it is--and you know how stressful our missions are, don't you?"

She sighed softly. Indeed, ninja their age who were at least Chuunin, were at their peak where agility, reflexes and alertness was concerned, and were thus often sent on dangerous missions. Yet at the same time, ninja their age were usually less experienced, and if captured, were less likely to make it out alive. This was the greatest hurdle all ninja had to overcome in their career, unless they were stuck as Genin their entire lives.

Tentatively, Shikamaru put his arm around her, and gently squeezed her shoulder. "I know," he murmured reassuringly. He paused, as if to consider how to say what he wanted to without offending her, and then continued, "So you moved out because you couldn't stand your mom? And, uh, you're intending to stay here?" He drawled, trying not to betray the mixed feelings he had. If she stayed, it would be rather--no, very troublesome to keep hiding her from his parents, but then again, he'd be staying in the same room, or at least the same house as her. However, if she said she was not staying, it would be a relief, and yet a disappointment.

When she nodded, he felt a wave of joy wash over him, but what followed was a kind of dread for the trouble she could cause him. For a moment, he was tempted to ask for the details of the fight she had with her mother, but refrained from doing so when he remembered what his father once told him: women are complicated beings too troublesome for us men to decipher. Besides, it was well past midnight, and he was sure she would need some rest.

As she busied herself unpacking her suitcase and hiding her clothes in Shikamaru's desk, he was silently celebrating, but was still considering the different places she could sleep. Even though it was pretty obvious from the outset that the safest place was probably under his bed, he still made it a point to go through all the possible solutions, just like how he would in battle. In this case, he was 'battling' against his parents. And, he thought wryly, I have to draw up a list of don'ts and a timetable of my parents' usual habits to minimise the risk of them seeing her. Argh, how troublesome. Why did I get myself into this mess?

Nara Shikamaru could scarcely sleep that night. The very thought that Yamanaka Ino was sleeping beneath him kept him wide awake, even though he kept reminding himself that there was a mattress, a bed frame and a sleeping bag, not to mention their clothes, separating their naked bodies.

For the umpteenth time that night, he shook his head to clear his mind of any dirty thoughts and instead tried to concentrate on how to keep his parents, mainly his mother, out of his room. She liked to see things arranged her way, and if they were not, she would rearrange them her way. Thus, no matter how well Ino's things were hidden, they were bound to be found eventually, and then both of them would be in deep trouble. Shikamaru pictured Inoshi accusing him of forcing his beloved princess to have an affair with him, and then making him marry her, and shuddered.

Shikamaru sighed. This was going to be one long night.

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A/n: Okay. About this chapter. I felt that Shikamaru is never the touchy-feely kind of person, but apparently Ino likes making skin contact with others (Eg. when she openly huggled Sasuke at the start of the Chuunin exam.) So, while it may seem totally OOC for Shikamaru to put his arm around her, I feel it isn't, because Shikamaru understands that this small gesture will cheer Ino up.

And, as for the silly argument Ino had with her mom, it was a little based on the silly things my mom and I bicker over (of course, in the story it is very much exaggerated XP) and how we react during the argument. But I'm only 16, and she's 19 here, so if you think she's a little too childish, you know why ;;

Last but not least, to Tench-Sama, nonengel, reiko and The Prime Minister, thanks for reviewing. You really made a difference. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

By the way, Tench-Sama, I was just kidding about the reviews thingy. To me, what's important is that you enjoy the story, not for you to erm.. serve up reviews to me to get me going. But thanks anyway. You really made my day d huggles