Chapter Text
You look a lot like forever, I’m made of yesterdays
Even if you don’t believe me, I couldn’t be less afraid
Betty Who, Better
Ino went to sleep feeling more tired than ever. She had a mission with Shikamaru and Choji outside Konoha. It was a long time since team 10 had a mission together like the old days. Now that the three of them are 21 years old jounins, they don’t spend as much time together as before. Ino works part time at the flower shop, besides training her genins at the Academy, and working at the Intelligence division. Shikamaru closely works with Kakashi-sensei, the Hokage, and he’s one of the best jounins because of his strategy skills, and he is sent often to missions with ANBU. On the other hand, Choji works too at the Academy training genins, and when he is not out for a mission, representing the Akimichi clan, he spends time with his new girlfriend.
No matter if the trio don’t spend time as they used to when they were just genins or chuunins, their friendship is untouchable. At least that’s what Ino feels whenever she sees them. But Ino specially feels a inexplicable happiness every time she sees Shikamaru; because Ino always says she doesn’t see him often as much as she sees Choji.
Today was a great day, Ino thinks as she lays on her bed, wanting to fall asleep fast. She thinks of Shikamaru when he effortlessly makes he laugh, or when he annoys her; the way his laziness hasn’t even change throughout the years; the way Ino feels she can’t connect with anyone else that’s not him. And with that chain of thoughts, Ino falls asleep and loses track of time in her dreams.
That’s when it happens. The dream.
Ino doesn’t know where she could possibly be. It looks like a meadow, but she has never been there before, still, it had some familiarity. Maybe because it’s a forest that belongs to the Nara clan, where deers walk freely. Ino is still walking and she knows she’s looking for someone in specific. It’s probably the boy she’s always thinking about. Ino can’t find him there. She leaves the meadow and tries to look out for him at the place Ino knows for sure he is when he tries to concentrate, or to shake off the distress of his mind.
There he is. At the park where he likes to play alone shogi; not at the garden of his parents house, but there, on a bench. She quietly walks closer to him, without wanting to distract him too much. Ino is afraid to interrupt or upset him, but she stills goes closer to him. There he is, Shikamaru, thinking about his game- what piece does he need to move now.
“I knew I’d find you here,” Ino dares to say.
Shikamaru is not upset she found him, he’s not even surprised. He smiled softly to her and grabs her hand with his. They slowly intertwine their fingers together, and it feels so right. Ino feels like she’s blooming love and affection towards the man with brown hair and chocolate eyes; her all-time friend. Shikamaru pulls Ino closer to his chest and kisses her. Ino resolves to put her arms around Shikamaru’s neck and going in with the kiss.
When you’re dreaming it’s clear you lose track of time, so there’s no way that Ino can actually count the time they spend kissing- or that the kiss feels so real she is actually hoping in her dream she doesn’t have to wake up soon.
“I always knew you were the one,” Ino says breaking the kiss but not going too far away from his body and face. Shikamaru mutters an “I love you, Ino,” before going back to kiss her. The image slowly disappears as something keep ringing in Ino’s ear disrupting her peace.
Ino wakes up at the sound of her alarm ringing. It’s 7am. It takes her approximately two minutes to think about her dream. She starts to remember the images and the sounds. Ino is sure she can feel Shikamaru’s lips even though Ino has never felt them on hers. She touches her lips, tracing something, but then, a sudden panic comes.
“WHAT THE HELL”