[Fanfic][Naruto] Dash


Naruto Fanfic – “Dash”
Written October 2008 by Astra M.
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“Sensei, why do we have to do this again?” asked Choji from where he sat beneath a shade tree, pausing just long enough to stuff a handful of chips into his mouth. “I thought this festival was only supposed to be for genin-level ninja and students.”

“The Sports Festival is an excellent way to show off everyone’s athletic prowess and combat abilities,” answered Asuma diplomatically while lighting up a fresh cigarette. “They just wanted to expand the field this year to allow the veterans back in.”

“Whatever. More likely Tsunade just caved in to some village elder’s asinine wish to relive his glory days,” muttered Shikamaru snidely. He stretched back out on the grass and stared longingly up at the sky. “It’s just a pointless waste of time.”

Yeah, that’s probably what happened, admitted Asuma silently. Sure, the Fifth Hokage’s official stance was that the competition provided a useful, low-key venue to test the skills of a wider range of Konoha’s residents and foster community spirit. But for Asuma what the Festival really offered was a lot more valuable: a shot at bragging rights among his fellow jounin for another year. Indeed, remembering the look on Kurenai’s face after the pie-eating contest caused him to break into an indecently pleased grin. “So how are we doing in the standings now?” he asked Shikamaru.

There was a snort of disgust. “Due to a certain bossy person’s relentless competitiveness, we’re ahead of Team 9 and tied with Team 7.”

“Not bad, Team Ino.”

Shikamaru rolled his eyes at the old moniker but didn’t argue. Even though he had become head of the team since making chuunin, there were still times he let his blonde teammate take charge. Especially when it involved tiresome affairs like this one. It was right up her alley...

Asuma was gazing speculatively around the grounds. “Speaking of which, where is your fearless leader?”

“Trash talking with Sakura, most likely,” griped Shikamaru. “They’ve been going at it nonstop since they first laid eyes on each other this morning. It’s like they’ve reverted back into a pair of silly genin. Stupid girls,” he muttered, with a pout strongly reminiscent of his younger self.

“Nothing wrong with a little friendly rivalry,” said Asuma, secretly wishing that some of Ino’s aggressiveness would rub off on his favorite pupil. “In any case, you need to go find her. Your team’s final event is coming up soon.”

With a groan, Shikamaru pulled himself upright. Recalling the place where he’d last seen Ino taunting Sakura, he reluctantly headed off towards the judging pavilion and grimaced, envisioning the scenario between them.

“Friendly” rivalry, my butt!

----------

“That last event was utterly pathetic. Face it, Sakura - your team’s going down.”

“Pathetic? Your team’s only just managed to tie with us, Ino. Don’t let it go to that swelled head of yours!”

“Swelled head? Don’t you mean more like swelled forehead?”

Next to the score board, the two kunoichi rivals were once again facing off. As Shikamaru had observed earlier, they’d been sniping at each other with increasing vigor as the day progressed. But now with their teams evenly scored and one event remaining, the tension between them was reaching its peak.

“Ha-ha,” said Sakura dryly, her green eyes glowing with competitive fire. “But seriously, Ino-Pig, you’ve already reached your limit. We both know that you won’t be able to beat me in the final race.”

“Oh, yeah?” Ino’s blue eyes glittered in return. Feeling over-confident and aggressive, she made an impulsive suggestion: “In that case, why don’t we make this more interesting?”

Sakura immediately picked up on her implication. “You mean like a private challenge to prove which one of us is the stronger kunoichi?”

“We already know who’s the strongest,” said Ino smugly. “I was thinking of competing for a prize worthy of the one who ultimately wins it all.”

Invisible sparks crackled between them as their eyes bored into one another’s, telepathically communicating the singular objective of their combative hearts. Then they simultaneously pointed at one another and opened their mouths:

“THE WINNER OF THIS BATTLE GETS TO KISS SASUKE!”

The declaration hung portentously in the air. Then reality set in and they both looked away sheepishly.

“He’d never have agreed to it anyway,” muttered Ino.

“Yeah... I know,” sighed Sakura.

But their dejected mood lasted only a few moments before a mischievous gleam reentered Ino’s eyes. She glanced over slyly at her rival.

“Well, Billboard Brow, what about tweaking the challenge then? Instead of the winner kissing a winner... how about the loser kissing a loser?”

Sakura looked at her strangely. “What are you talking about?”

Ino’s smirk widened. “It means that if you lose... you have to kiss Naruto!”

“Kiss... Naruto?”

Sakura stared dazedly back at Ino, her mouth working soundlessly. Her face began to turn a bright shade of pink.

Ino likewise goggled at her rival’s reaction, at a loss for words herself. She’d expected anger, not this flustered weirdness. An odd thought suddenly struck her. “Hey, Sakura... do you like Naruto?” she asked uncertainly.

Sakura immediately came to life. “What? NO! I don’t like Naruto like that!” she yelled.

Ino’s suspicion mounted. “Then why are you acting so nervous about kissing him?”

“I am not!” insisted Sakura, her face changing from pink to red. “And just why should I be nervous about kissing him?”

“Er... does that mean you want to kiss Naruto?”

“ENOUGH!!!” yelled Sakura, her eyes flashing. “If that’s the way you want the challenge to be, then fine! But if you lose, Ino... you have to kiss Shikamaru!”

Now it was Ino’s turn to stare slack-jawed at Sakura, her mind having just inexplicably gone blank. Then a sense of indignation swelled up inside. “Hey, wait a minute! Shikamaru’s not a -! Uh, I mean...”

Ino trailed off, at a loss for her sudden burst of temper and then subsequent hesitation. Worse, she too could feel that her face had become flushed, as much to her rival’s amazement as her own.

Sakura seized the opening, determined to cover for her lapse. “What is it, Ino? Has your teammate finally graduated to the list of boys you’re dying to make out with?”

“What?” cried Ino, rocked to the core by Sakura’s insinuation. She wasn’t prepared for this particular line of attack, and her defensive instincts automatically kicked in. “Don’t be stupid! He’s not even close to being on my list!”

“Then you should have no objections to kissing him, right?”

Ino was again rendered mute, and Sakura was relieved to see that she’d managed to successfully distract Ino from further questions about Naruto. Still, Sakura’s own curiosity was now piqued, and her killer instincts were too finely honed by years of rivalry to let it go at that. Memory of a surprising comment Ino had once blithely let slip resurfaced, and she smirked.

“Hmm... or maybe it’s just that he’s been moved onto a list of his very own,” taunted Sakura knowingly. “I hear he really looks good once he puts on that chuunin vest!”

Ino could feel that her face had gone red. She flashed back to that day after the Chuunin Exams when everything had changed, and the same flurry of strange feelings stirred up within her again. It didn’t matter that she didn’t understand them any better after all this time - all Ino knew was that she was feeling very uncomfortable, and that she had to put a stop to this right now.

“Shikamaru is nothing but a loser, and I would sooner break my leg than kiss him!” cried Ino vehemently. “And at least I’m not the one harboring a secret desire to suck face with Naruto!”

Sakura’s face became prune-like in her anger. “In your dreams, Ino-Pig,” she snapped. “Or do they only feature Shikamaru these days?”

“ENOUGH!” yelled Ino, echoing her rival’s earlier outcry. Then she impulsively thrust out her hand towards Sakura before she could say anything further. “If that’s how you want it - fine! Do we have a deal?”

Sakura seemed to hesitate, and then she quickly clasped Ino’s extended hand. “It’s a challenge,” she replied as the two angrily shook. “The loser of this battle has to kiss another loser!”

At that moment the pre-race warning horn sounded, alerting everyone to assemble for the final event. Sakura and Ino immediately broke their handshake, each turning away to stalk off towards her respective team.

Then the shadowy form of Shikamaru stepped out from behind the scoreboard. His face was dark and stormy as he watched the familiar blonde ponytail swishing determinedly away from him.

Oh... so that’s how it is.

----------

I so feel tense right now.

Ino stood at the starting line, glancing down the line of competitors until her gaze fell on the two entrants from Team Seven. As expected, Sakura was glaring back, and yet she looked strangely stiff as Naruto suddenly adjusted his grip on her. Ino quickly turned away, resisting the urge to laugh at her rival’s discomfort: it would have been funny... if only it didn’t so perfectly mirror her own.

“Idiots,” muttered Shikamaru besides her.

Ino jumped slightly. She looked at him askance, surprised that he’d been following her gaze. Not to mention that it was the first word Shikamaru had spoken to her since she’d found him skulking on the sidelines, appearing just when she’d been on the verge of freaking out. He hadn’t responded with his usual sarcasm when she’d yelled at him for bringing them within a hair of disqualification and dragged him to the starting line; nor had he lifted a finger to help her with their leg bindings, forcing her to do all the work herself. While this behavior was not entirely inconsistent, Ino sensed that something was off: Shikamaru’s manner towards her was entirely too cold for normal.

Still, Ino was too keyed up to worry much about that. She was finding it hard enough just keeping her cool when he was standing so close to her. Soon they would be pressed side to side, with their arms slung around each other, and Shikamaru breathing heavily in her ear...

Ino gulped. Fortunately, just then there came a crackle from the loudspeaker.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the last contest of the Sports Festival is about to begin: the three-legged race!” proclaimed the chirpy announcer. “And being that this is the final event before naming the Grand Champions, the race course has been designed to be more challenging for our contestants by looping through the forest before returning to the finish line. So good luck, everyone!”

As the teams were announced to the cheering crowd, Ino closed her eyes and tried to calm her thoughts. She had to get back into her competitive mode. It would be impossible to run effectively if she couldn’t concentrate. Casting about for the right motivation, she imagined what the look on Sakura’s face would be when she lost. Soon Ino was smiling in renewed anticipation. It was going to be hard keeping it together once Sakura got up close and personal with Naruto -

Unexpectedly, Shikamaru’s arm took a sudden slide down her back and wrapped around her waist, pulling her in even closer. A tiny tremor raced through Ino as her awareness zeroed in on the weight of his hand resting firmly on her hip. Flustered, Ino felt the heat begin to rise in her face and she struggled not to squirm. It was the first time she’d been this hyperaware of Shikamaru’s touch.

Silence descended on the waiting crowd, and Ino gulped again as the world seemed to start spinning. She wondered if she could remember which leg to start off with...

“On your mark! Ready... set... GO!”

The crack of the starting gun sent a shot of adrenaline coursing through Ino’s system, clearing her mind. The world righted itself. Feeling aggressive and full of determination, she took a swift step forward - and slammed face first into the grass.

Some in the crowd began tittering. Stunned, Ino hastily pushed herself up on her forearms. What in the world..? Twisting onto her side, she looked down at her bound left leg, tracing its entanglement backwards to Shikamaru... who was laying peacefully on his back and gazing up at the clouds.

“An unusual move by Team Ten right out of the starting gate,” said the announcer. “Could this be some kind of bizarre new strategy?”

“What the heck are you doing!?” cried Ino as she flipped her body back around into alignment. “This isn’t the place for that, you idiot!”

Shikamaru yawned. “But it’s such a nice day. And I don’t really feel like moving from this spot...”

Incensed, Ino rolled right over him and seized hold of his collar. “Have you lost your mind? We’re right in the middle of a race, damn it!”

He merely looked bored. “Seriously, you should try doing stuff like this more often, Ino. You wouldn’t be such a high-strung person, obsessed with petty, trivial things...”

She began to shake him. “Get up or die!”

Shikamaru put his hands up in a sign of submission. “All right, all right,” he sighed (in that annoyingly exaggerated, woe-begotten tone that seemed peculiarly custom-designed to set her teeth on edge.) But as promised, he pushed himself upwards, and soon the two had staggered upright and were on their way.

At first Ino thought all was well. After an initially awkward lurch, within a few steps she’d found herself in perfect sync with him. Her annoyance vanished as satisfaction took hold. Yes, this was more like it - Shikamaru really was a good partner, whenever he got serious about doing something. Pleased, she snuck a sideways glance at him, and was suddenly cognizant of just how physically close they were.

Whoa, this feels so... natural.

The fluttery sensation returned, setting her head spinning. Well, that’s hardly a surprise, right? she reasoned with herself. They’d been partners for so long that it should only be expected that Shikamaru would complement her movements so well - or vice versa. As with now, when their rhythm felt so disturbingly right...

Fighting a blush, Ino dropped her gaze. She found herself staring mindlessly down at the ground, watching their legs traversing the grass. And then it hit her.

They were strolling.

“What the..?” gasped Ino as she quickly looked back up at Shikamaru, who appeared no less unperturbed than before. It was then that she finally registered the snickering coming from the crowd behind them. She broke into a dark scowl. “Hey, just what is the meaning of this?!”

Shikamaru turned his head to gaze impassively back at her. “Eh? Meaning of what?” he answered carelessly, keeping their pace unaltered.

“Don’t play dumb! Why are we walking?”

“Just pacing ourselves, of course,” answered Shikamaru blithely. “A steady rate will get the job done - you do remember the tale of the tortoise and the hare?”

Ino gnashed her teeth. “That’s just a stupid fable!” Looking across the lawn, she saw that their competition was quickly nearing the forest. She began to panic. “See that - we’re being left behind!”

“No good, huh?” Ino felt Shikamaru’s arm twitch in a half-hearted shrug. “In that case, I guess we could try this instead...”

Unexpectedly, Shikamaru’s right hand slipped down from her shoulders to wind around her waist while he simultaneously seized the left arm she had slung across his back, pulling it closer. Then Ino felt the blood automatically rushing to her face as she found herself being pressed even tighter against his side. But before she could say anything, there came an awkward jerking jump and all her attention became focused on not stumbling. Immediately another unsteady hop and leap followed, then another, and another... and now Ino felt the embarrassed flush turning into a fiery heat as she finally caught on to the rhythm. She turned to aim an incredulous glare at Shikamaru.

“You’re not seriously trying to skip our way to the finish line?”

“Yeah, why not?” replied Shikamaru as he flashed her a little smirk that set her blood boiling. “You gotta admit that this is a lot faster than walking.”

Confusion and fury descended over Ino as she stared uncomprehendingly at Shikamaru. What in the world had gotten into him? Sure, he could sometimes be difficult about things, but she’d never seen such willful obstinacy like this. Or watch him intentionally acting like such a fool. Listening to the open laughter from the crowd, Ino’s temper reached its breaking point. Stupid Shikamaru - he was going to throw the race for them just for the sake of a few laughs! Driven by anger and desperation, Ino leaned over and shouted directly into his ear:

“Damn it all, Shikamaru - are you deliberately trying to lose?!?”

Immediately a strange expression crossed his face and the smirk vanished. Then to Ino’s astonishment, they abruptly came to a dead stop, and Shikamaru turned to give her a cold, hard look.

“No... I guess you really wouldn’t want that, would you?”

Instantly Shikamaru’s entire demeanor transformed. He seized Ino again, but with a much rougher grip, and without warning broke into a run. Caught off guard, it was all Ino could do to keep herself upright as they charged across the grass; she even felt somewhat scared by this turn of events. Yet she couldn’t really complain - Shikamaru’s clip was such that they quickly overtook the stragglers and drove through the middle of the pack. Soon they’d closed in on the leaders, and now Ino experienced a heady flush of victory when she and Shikamaru finally drew even with Sakura and Naruto - and then easily passed them by.

They were well in the lead when they plunged into the forest leg of the race. It was then that Ino (who previously had been stoked by the horrified expression on Sakura’s face) began to feel nervous again. Unlike the grassy lawn, the ground here was uneven and loaded with potential hazards like broken branches and rocks. Yet Shikamaru was not slackening his pace, and Ino was having difficulty matching his steps.

“Hey! Slow down, Shikamaru!” she finally yelled when her right foot just missed catching itself under a tree root. “We’re way ahead of everyone else now - take it easy already!”

Instead of the expected response, however, Shikamaru didn’t break his stride. “You want to win this, don’t you?” he answered brusquely.

Something about his tone sent a warning shiver down her spine, but Ino ignored that in favor of getting angry again. She was certain she was going to take another headlong fall, and Shikamaru’s bizarre attitude was really grating on her nerves.

“Of course I want to win!” she snapped. “But I don’t want to break my neck in order to do it!”

“Are you sure about that, Ino? There could be far worse things than simply breaking your neck, you know.”

Fed up and confused, Ino determinedly dug her feet into the ground, forcing them to come to a halt. Breaking free of Shikamaru’s grip, she tried her best to spin around to confront him, but only succeeded in taking a fresh spill onto the forest floor. Rubbing her leg painfully, Ino settled for glaring up at Shikamaru, who merely stood looking impassively back down at her.

“What is your freaking problem, Shikamaru?” she demanded. “This isn’t like you at all - stop beating around the bush and spit it out!”

“My problem, Ino, is that I know you how much you can’t stand to lose. So I think that winning this pain-in-the-ass race as fast as possible is in everyone’s best interests.” Pausing, Shikamaru’s grim face darkened even further. “And if you don’t like my methods - too bad. Consider all this a favor I’m making to you.”

“Everyone’s best interests? A ‘favor’ to me?” repeated Ino, mystified. An uncomfortable feeling began to stir in the pit of her stomach. “Hey... just what exactly are you talking about?”

“What I’m saying is that just like you, I’m not interested in being kissed by a loser either!”

Shock flooded through Ino as she stared speechlessly up at Shikamaru’s stony gaze. The scene with Sakura flashed back into her mind, and then she felt the blood draining from her face.

Oh no - he was listening to our conversation! He overheard the bet!

A sick feeling settled over her as Ino realized that there was no simple way of explaining this to Shikamaru. Her goal had been nothing more than to embarrass Sakura, no different from any other time - except that her proposal had gotten out of control once Sakura brought Shikamaru into it. Ino hadn’t anticipated being so thrown at the prospect of kissing Shikamaru, or that she would feel so defensive over him - but her reaction had been like waving a red flag in front of Sakura and she just didn’t want to back down to her rival. But how was she supposed to explain all that to Shikamaru? Especially the part about her unexpected feelings for him...

“No! You don’t understand!” cried Ino, fumbling about for something safe to say. “It was all just trash-talking, Shikamaru! We weren’t being serious! It’s not what really -!”

“Yeah, whatever, Ino,” interrupted Shikamaru coldly. “I don’t believe that for a minute, but I really could care less. Now get up - we’re losing our lead!”

“Wait -!”

But he didn’t stop to listen. Reaching down, Shikamaru roughly seized an arm and yanked Ino back on her feet. And then they were off running again.

Ino’s stomach clenched tightly as she saw the ground passing rapidly beneath them, though she wasn’t sure if the fear was due more to their dangerous pace or from the boy racing besides her. She could clearly feel the anger pouring off of Shikamaru: his grip was painfully tight, his speed was reckless, and he wasn’t even attempting to match his stride to hers at all. Perhaps he was more sure-footed than she’d realized in this kind of terrain, given his family’s upbringing - but she was straining badly now just to keep up. Real panic began to surge inside Ino as they tore through the forest. Any second now she was going to -

On cue, her right foot landed on an innocuous-looking stick laying on the pathway, and rocketed off it as if she’d hit an oil slick. Struggling to keep her balance, Ino stumbled. Then her ankle twisted sharply, and with a startled gasp she crashed against Shikamaru, knocking them both to the ground.

Ino sucked in her breath as a stab of pain shot up her leg. She was vaguely aware of Shikamaru sitting up and leaning over to give her an annoyed look. “You know, Ino, for someone as big of a braggart as you are, I’m kind of surprised. If you’re going to bank on winning your bets, shouldn’t you at least have the talent to back it up?”

When she didn’t respond beyond giving a faint moan, Shikamaru muttered a “tch” of disgust, irritated with both Ino and himself. He knew he was acting like a jerk, but he was having a hard time restraining himself. On the one hand, he didn’t like being so rough with her - it went against his principles. On the other hand, he wasn’t about to let her make sport of him. In truth, the knowledge that she’d done this was hitting him much harder than he cared to admit...

Scowling pitilessly at the girl crumpled next to him, Shikamaru got up on one leg. Then he reached down and took hold of her arm again. “It’s a total pain to have to keep repeating myself, Ino, but if you don’t want to lose - get up!” he yelled, as he abruptly jerked her upright.

To his shock, Ino screamed and collapsed back on the ground. “You’re hurting me!”

Shikamaru froze. The anger dissipated as he quickly dropped to his knees and inspected her leg gingerly. When he touched her ankle, Ino reacted with another cry of pain.

“I think it’s twisted,” he told her grimly.

“Or b-broken,” winced Ino. “Ow, it hurts...”

A somber, remorseful feeling settled over Shikamaru as he watched her pale face. He’d never seriously considered that he might wind up harming Ino by pushing her so hard. It was exactly the kind of boorish behavior he’d always despised in others... and to have directed it at someone he ought to have been protecting... Aargh! Why had he gone overboard like that?

Then again, he already knew the reason why.

I hate that she thinks I’m a loser.

A fresh twinge of anger passed through him. For a moment Shikamaru was torn between his indignation and his guilt, when another voice spoke up in his mind:

But only a real loser would treat a girl like this.

He smiled ruefully. No matter how much of a kick in the gut it was to be Ino’s fall guy, he’d still never let himself fall so low as to become a true ass. And (he groaned) that meant an apology was in order at the very least...

Resigned, Shikamaru cleared his throat.

“Hey, Ino...”

“What?” she snapped.

“I’m really sorry about this,” he said bluntly, causing Ino to leave off rubbing her leg. “I didn’t mean to run you so hard. That was a... mean, dumb-ass thing to do.” He paused to heave a deep sigh. “I was just... angry. I’m sorry.”

Ino grimaced as the guilty feelings she’d experienced prior to the fall returned in force. True, she was more than a little upset with Shikamaru; even now it was on the tip of her tongue to tear into him. But how could she justify being mad at him when it was her own cruel, thoughtless actions that had set him off?

“Shikamaru... I think there’s something you ought to know,” began Ino hesitantly as she looked up at him. “What happened earlier between Sakura and me wasn’t ever meant to involve you. It was just stupid teasing that got out of hand - not that that’s an excuse, but it’s the truth. It never crossed my mind that Sakura would pick you.“ She paused, feeling her cheeks grow warm, but she pressed on. “Because I don’t think you’re a loser. Really.”

“You... don’t?” Shikamaru stared at her, his expression a cross between disbelief and surprise. “But you yourself said that you’d sooner break your own leg than kiss a loser like me!”

Ino briefly dropped her head, aware that her face was now blooming into a full blush. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean it. It was just a... rude, dumb-ass thing to say. I was embarrassed to admit it to Sakura. But the truth is I... I like you, Shikamaru,” she finished softly.

For a moment they just gazed at each other, equally astonished by what the other had admitted. Then Shikamaru, appearing somewhat embarrassed, cleared his throat again, and Ino resisted the urge to bury her face in her knees. But before either could say anything more, there came the sound of someone crashing through the underbrush - the other racers were quickly approaching. Instead they exchanged a wordless glance that summed up their predicament: so now what do we do?

“Do you still want to finish the race?” asked Shikamaru as he crouched down and began re-examining her leg.

“Not really,” muttered Ino.

He gave an uncertain look. “Huh? Are you serious?”

Ino sighed, thinking about the stupid bet and what Sakura was bound to say once it was all over. Well, perhaps this was karma - she never should have proposed it in the first place. “What does it matter, anyway? I don’t care about winning it anymore. Besides that, you know I can’t finish the race like this,” she said, gesturing grumpily at her foot.

Shikamaru, however, was watching her with a thoughtful expression. Then his mouth curved in a mild smirk, and he held out a hand to gently grasp hers.

“We’ve come this far together...”

-----

Some time later, two figures emerged from the woods and began their final trek across the grass towards the finish line. A murmur went up from the waiting crowd.

“Ah... what’s this?” exclaimed the astonished announcer. “Well, I’ll be. Folks, the race is over, but it looks like we still have one last pair attempting to cross the finish line!”

Shikamaru sighed, but kept striding purposefully forward as the crowd turned en masse to watch. In his arms he carried Ino, who had her arms wrapped around his shoulders and her head buried against his neck. Shikamaru wished that he too could similarly avoid the probing eyes of the crowd or at least shut off their calls of “encouragement” - he was certain that whistling cat-call was Kiba’s - but ultimately their presence was simply an unfortunate annoyance. Audience or no, there were just some things a man had to do.

“And bringing up the rear... Nara Shikamaru and Yamanaka Ino. An unfortunate turn of events for Team Ten, as this loss knocks them down to last place in the overall standings. But folks, let’s give them a hand for their determination in finishing the race anyway! What great teamwork!”

With the crowd clapping its encouragement, Shikamaru finally crossed the line. Job done, he was wondering if he should try carrying Ino to the hospital or locating a field medic first when his thoughts were unexpectedly upended: Ino had lifted her head from his shoulder and was softly pressing her lips to his.

The world dimmed. Shikamaru was vaguely aware of someone whooping obnoxiously in the background (Naruto probably), but mostly there was nothing but blissful oblivion until Ino gently broke the kiss. For a moment he could do nothing but blink in wonder at the girl resting in his arms. Then his surprise faded into dejection.

“Was that because we lost?” he asked warily.

Ino broke into a mischievous yet tender grin.

“Don’t be silly, Shikamaru, Everyone knows that at the end of the race, it’s only the winner who gets a kiss from the girl.”

Then he smiled as she leaned in for another.