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Whumptober, Day 29 - Shikmaru/Ino

Prompt: All work and no play ("you're still not dead", too weak to move, overworked) Fandom: Naruto Pairing: Shikamaru/Ino Rating: T Words: 738 Notes: Requested by @cinlat

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Dusk faded toward night, falling over the training field like a heavy blanket. Kunai, shuriken, and armor littered the ground. Shikamaru’s head hung down, sweat dripping from his chin and the disheveled hair that had come loose from his normally tight ponytail. Drawing air into his lungs sent sharp stabs of pain through his back. His legs and arms trembled as he pushed himself upright. “Again.”

Ino shook her head, tipping up her water bottle “No, you need to take a break. You’re pushing yourself too hard.”

“Do it again,” Shikamaru hissed, swiping at the bead of sweat running into his eyes.

The pair had been at the training ground since midday, but Shikamaru wasn’t satisfied with the result. Half a dozen wounds riddled his body, a testament to the fact that he still wasn’t good enough. Ino looked better for the wear, but he knew that she hid it well. Shikamaru hadn’t managed to land as many hits as she had, but fighting shadow possession took a toll on the body.

The girl huffed out a breath and tossed the bottle to Shikamaru. He caught it on reflex as Ino sank to the ground. “I’m tired,” she complained. “We’ve been working at this all day.”

“And, I’m going to keep going until we get it right,” Shikamaru growled. “I’m not going to risk another failure in the field because we didn’t work hard enough.”

Ino tipped her head to the side, studying Shikamaru with those aquamarine eyes that seemed too knowing lately. “It wasn’t a failure,” she corrected, voice firm. “It was a death.”

Overwhelming agony swelled in Shikamaru’s chest as Ino scooted toward him without standing. She rested a hand on his thigh, moving until her gaze filled his vision. “Asuma died,” she repeated. “He died, and it wasn’t your fault. Overworking yourself to the point of death won’t change that.”

“If I’d been faster or better, I could have protected him. I should have--” Something swelled in Shikamaru’s throat, cutting off the rest of the words. He squeezed his eyes shut before the tears could start again.

Ino pulled Shikamaru against her, and for a moment he had a disorienting realization of how soft her body was. Then, her hand was rubbing his back as if that could remove the pain that lodged there like a kunai. “He gave his life for yours,” Ino breathed, voice tight with the emotions choking Shikamaru. “It was his choice.”

But, it wasn’t fair, the childish part of Shikamaru cried out, tantruming against the price that being a shinobi exacted. None of it was fair. Why did it have to be Asuma? Why did it have to be me? Why couldn’t things have gone differently?

There were no answers, only more questions that piled on Shikamaru’s chest like a stone. It compressed his lungs, squeezing them until every breath was a physical pain. Something brushed against his lips, breaking the cycle of impossible thoughts. Ino held the water there, tears shining on her cheeks. She offered a tenuous smile that didn’t touch the hurt reflected in her gaze.

Shikamaru raised a hand to take the bottle, but his thumb brushed the tears from Ino’s cheek instead. She exhaled in a jagged, broken breath. The echo of pain in her eyes somehow managed to make him more aware of the ache beneath his breastbone. But, it lessened the sharp prick of abandonment at the same time.

Releasing the tension in a breath, Shikamaru tipped his head forward to catch Ino’s lips in a first kiss that he’d never imagined until that moment. The tentative brush did something warm and explosive along his sternum. Ino squeaked and pulled back, fumbling the water in her haste. Cold splash across Shikamaru’s stomach as he scrambled to the side. He watched the puddle spread in the dirt, embarrassment replacing the pain momentarily.

Ino crouched a couple of feet away, cheeks flaming crimson. Heat crept up Shikamaru’s neck as he rubbed it with a damp hand. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed—”

When Ino moved closer and raised her hand, Shikamaru tensed for a slap. Her fingers traced his cheek bone instead, triplicating the blush under his skin. Ino’s tongue darted across her lips, then she smiled. “Let’s give it a second try,” she chuckled, “without the surprise, this time.”

Before Shikamaru could answer, Ino’s soft lips were against his, and the world was spinning.

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I come back and STILL see toxicity being thrown around….for real?

It really needs to stop, y’all.

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⚠️ WARNING: EXTREME SHIKAINO ANGST AU.

i can imagine a whole ass scene of shikaino playing out while the lyrics of one of my fav songs by bigbang (let's not fall in love) goes like this in the bgm 😩:

shikamaru: "don't ask me anything. i can't give you an answer. we are so happy as we are right now."

[ scene 1 ]: shika and ino are going on a cute couple date, wearing matching clothes, at the fireworks festival on the pretense that it's a 'just another casual hangout between friends' although they both know deep inside that it means something more.

and it's not the first time either.

they don't really know what's the right term for their relationship. best friends don't kiss and hug each other on a day-to-day basis. best friends don't intertwine their fingers in public. best friends don't know how each other tastes like.

but for now, they just want to forget it all and enjoy the moment together before the night ends.

in shikamaru's own words, love is a drag and... a drug.

he hates it, he hates that he can't put a label to their relationship and he hates that he's fighting with ino once a month because he can't give a direct answer to her questions. however, he can't and won't stop being addicted to her and the way she makes him feel differently from anyone else he has met in his life. he wants to let go of her, so she can meet someone better than him, but at the same time, he doesn't want to. he knows that if he cuts the strings, he will never move on from her. and so, he's stuck in a dilemma.

ino: "goodbyes after our frequent meet-ups, repetition of broken hearts. i can’t find a purpose in these foolish feelings. mistake with the mask of love."

[ scene 2 ]: it was always like this with him. one moment he's your soulmate, someone you would happily marry on the spot and the next, he's your mortal enemy, someone you would never want to meet ever again, on the very same day. it was borderline toxic and ino could no longer tolerate this b*llshit anymore. enough is enough.

the people around them occassionally asks them if they are an item and honestly? not once has she given a complete answer without shying away from the topic. "it's... complicated." she would end up saying with a bitter smile, her voice croaking, on the verge of spilling over her pent-up frustrations.

shikamaru is torturing her with silence. he knows it, she knows it. it's not that he doesn't love her, he does! but how is he supposed to continue on with her without throwing away his family? how is he supposed to choose between the love of his life and the Naras?

as much as he loathes the idea of it, he doesn't want to disappoint his old folks by not complying with their arranged marriage for him with the kazekage's sister. all for the sake of the village and bringing down the ino-shika-cho tradition. the habit of lighting up his cigarrate and sleeping under the clouds starts to rapidly grow over the days. who can blame ino for calling him a coward? it was her final breaking point before she left him forever.

he didn't stop her. neither did he stop the lone tear from his eye rolling down his dry cheeks. the last he had seen her was on the same hill they used to share their best memories with each other. the only thing he can do now is laugh like a maniac at how pathetic he is, for not manning-up to his problems and for losing the only person he loves passionately.

shikamaru: "actually, i'm a little scared, i'm sorry. let’s not make promises, you never know when tomorrow comes. (...) before things get too deep, before you get hurt, don’t trust me."

ino: "you’re always like that. selfish bastard."

shikamaru: "but i really mean it when i say,

i like you."

just like the dramatic change from winter to summer, the two erased the coldness of the past to fuse with the warmness of the present. ino found someone new, he ignited a fire in her but something felt lackluster. he just wasn't (him). shikamaru went on with the arranged marriage. his partner wasn't as bad as he initially thought she would be, in fact they vibed, but something felt missing. she just wasn't (her).

no matter how many seasons have arrived at their doorsteps, shikamaru and ino knows better than to run into each other's arms and repeat the cycle of pain and longing. there's nothing except the deafening silence of their loud thoughts that can fill in the tiny hole in their heart. unbeknowst to them, the same tiny hole is slowly travelling its way up to their upper body them, gnawing them from inside and strangling them on the outside.

time will heal, they say, patting themselves on the back to convince themselves that they are okay as they absent-mindedly gaze at the ceiling above them every single night.

if they were in an alternate reality, would have things been different? it's hard to answer a seemingly-impossible question. one thing's for sure though, they are soulmates rejected by circumstances but connected through fate.

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ok so i gave some thought on why i am obsessed with shikaino and here are my five reasons that you may or may not relate to 👍

1. i am introverted, my personality is a mix of both but i am more like shika

2. which means i lowkey love best friends to lovers trope because i find it hard to fall in love with a stranger in just a few encounters. i just can't open up to someone outside my social circle easily 🤷‍♀️

3. and i personally hate to date someone introverted like me because it would be boring, i need someone to bring out the 'fun' side of me not the other way round! which is why i would always go for the complete opposite personality (like shika and ino) so we can complement each other 😄

4. there are many canon evidences!!! i hate kishi for leading us on but there are so many times when shika would look at ino softly, pout when she mentions sasuke, catch her gently when she's doing her mind transfer jutsu and more 😭 there were many very sus things that the characters have said too like what does chouji mean by 'poor shikamaru' AND WHY DOES SHIKA SAY 'SHE KNOWS WHAT I AM THINKING WITHOUT ME SAYING IT' (or somewhere along those lines) WITH A SMILE LIKE.... BOY YOU LOOK SO WHIPPED FOR HER 🏃‍♀️ so many questions unanswered till this day 😩

5. as someone who believes that enjoyment = appreciating characters AND the plot, i just dislike the forced and rushed writing at the end of shippuden for not just canon shippings but also the entire plot. it was just a letdown and anti-climatic when kaguya entered the picture and konoha 11 was on the backburner (well tbh they were ignored throughout the entire shippuden except the occasional ino-shika-cho trio) 😣

so yea these are the five reasons that i can think of ! and it has been rly long since i watched any naru-related content (i am too lazy to start on boruto so i irregularly watch rock lee spinoff in my free time and still consume fancontent) 🤩

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continuing on my shikaino agenda!

in an alternate reality, they would seriously be a couple because

1. no woman makes shika geniunely SMILE and LAUGH like ino does.

shika hates everything and everyone but somehow, only ino can bring out the other side of him. sure, he can give his signature smirk, small smiles and sarcastic remarks to others but no one besides ino can make him laugh until he cries. shika loves to tease her to no end because he loves to get a reaction out of her since her facial expressions are much more animate than him and he really likes to see her being happy with him 🥺

2. no man makes ino all mushy and 'girly' like shika does.

hear me out, ino is the most popular girl in the series but every guy out there only sees her as 'boy-crazy' and shallow. they will just say 'you are pretty', probably have one or two dates, and then leave her heartbroken. she's the type to go all out when she's into someone, even if the other guy doesn't reciprocate the feelings strongly. shika knows this and tries to protect her from being vulnerable to such one-sided experiences by... bingo! being jealous and secretly possessive 😂

"shika shika, what do you think of him? (*grins giddily as she shows a picture of him*) i am going on a blind date with him this sunday!!"

"he sucks and he stinks, he looks like someone who hasn't stepped out of his room in years and finally, he looks like a dick"

"...is it just me or you sound incredibly jealous?"

"it's a man's instinct. don't date him, he will break your heart like all the other assholes before him"

"woah woah woah, chill with the cursings, i swear i almost believed you are my overprotective boyfriend right there"

"i could be, if you weren't dating all these assholes"

"HAHA very funny, shika! 🙄" (*she takes a few seconds to fully process what he has just said*) "wait what-"

on the other hand, shika reserves compliments only for ino. although it's irregular, shika makes it a point to tell ino that she's beautiful and perfect the way she is and lists down every single positive trait to boost her confidence and he MAKES IT A POINT to SHOW HIS SINCERITY. he will pretend he's noncholant about it but he's lowkey blushing and shy to tell her that he is crazy about her. meanwhile ino gets really embarrassed because no man gets her in her feelings like shika does 💀

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I AM IN TEARS AHHHH INO PLANTING A NEW FLOWER IN FRONT OF SHIKA'S HOUSE TO INDICATE EVERY SINGLE TIME HE RETURNS HOME SAFE DESERVES TO BE CANON 😭😭😭 I CAN'T, THAT'S SO SWEET I AM IN LOVE W THEM AND THEM ONLY 🛐

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Kishi out here giving me a ship where the guy is in charge of protecting her body and always gets fiercely protective when it comes down to it and then tries to convince me that it isn't the ship to ship like--- make it make sense.

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shikaino are complete opposites: shika is more introverted while ino is more extroverted. shika has a higher IQ while ino has a higher EQ.

but they do have many similarities in common:

1. shika and ino will be blunt when they have to. if you suck, they will say it to your face that you suck. they will criticise you if you are a shitty shinobi 💀

2. shika and ino are idealists. shika is realistic on the exterior, when he does shinobi work but he is very idealistic on the interior, when he is alone. he only shows that side of him to his closest ones, ofc ino is no exception. similarly, ino loves to reminsice about the past and dream about the future ✨

they complement each other well. i can imagine them lying together on the grass, just looking at the clouds in comfortable silence and asking each other about 'what ifs'. what if asuma was still here with them? what if they never met? would they be happy in an alternate reality forever?

3. shika and ino are each other's best life advicers. don't get me wrong, chouji is a good friend too but he's hesitant on comforting girls without hurting their feelings, even if it's his own best friend. instead of helping them, he would probably make it worse by saying vague things like 'cheer up! it's not that bad!' 🕴

meanwhile shika doesn't give a fvck, which is why ino goes to him when she has a meltdown because she hates people who sugarcoats things. she needs someone to point out what went wrong and tell her to get her shit together, even if it hurts her pride. she knows that shika will do the little cute things like giving her hand a small squeeze afterwards because he lowkey feels guilty for being too harsh 🥰

he acts like he doesn't care yet he sits down with ino for three hours and does not stop her as she rambles about her life crisis because he knows it must be serious for ino, one of the most confident and fearless women he knows, to actually CRY in front of him 😶

this works vice versa! ino knows when to leave shika alone if he's having one of those 'i hate everyone' days and she also knows when to step into his personal space to tell him to stop sulking by himself so she can bring him back to himself again. she would remind him that she (and the rest of his loved ones) are here for him and joke that it's not fun when she is not bickering with him for a day 😾 it always works because it's ino and he feels himself loosening up his tensed body again because of her. 😁

4. shika and ino both prioritise their friendship! no matter how many friends ino has in the shinobi world, no matter how many times they have almost destroyed their friendship due to small, minor things and no matter how old both of them have gotten, their friendship runs very deep and they will literally not hesitate to jump in front of a gun for each other.

they rarely show physical affection towards each other besides the occassional 'ino hug' bcos shika is too shy while ino hates touching him but they will protect each other at all costs, even if it means risking their own lives 🤧

you would never catch shika or ino abandoning their friendship or ghosting each other in exchange for work. that's a no-no.

ALRIGHT that's the end of my rant on why shikaino is basically superior and why i am so incredibly in love with them till this day 😁

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@bigbangers

Ahaha…haha…aaaahhh woops-

I almost forgot the Pain AU drabble I wrote forever ago so I guess I’ll share it even though it’s not great atm. I doubt I’ll go back and fix things at this point though, oof.

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I almost forgot the Pain AU drabble I wrote forever ago so I guess I’ll share it even though it’s not great atm. I doubt I’ll go back and fix things at this point though, oof.

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Shikamaru Nara in Every Episode:

Naruto Shippuden #321 増援到着 - Zōen tōchaku (Reinforcements Arrive)

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Narutaugust day 6: Fave Arc

Akatsuki Suppression Mission 

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