ShikaIno // Ties that Bind // Prologue
An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet,
regardless of time, place or circumstance.
The thread may stretch or tangle
but it will never break
Title: Ties that Bind
Fandom: Naruto
Characters: ShikaIno
Word Count: 1182
Rating: T
Summary: Ino's last mission goes horribly wrong. Captured and imprisoned in a fashion beyond her worse imagining, can she possibly keep her promise to Shikamaru?
Author's Notes: Not my usual fandom and not my usual pairing. But I'm a sucker for the best friends forever turned lovers. This is going to be a multi-shot.
Shikamaru Nara couldn't help the grimace on his face, it was too early in the morning to be happy about being up and the bad feeling that sat in the middle of his gut bothered him. He put one hand in a pocket, staring down into unique pupil less blue eyes that belonged to his childhood friend and now sweetheart and gently brushing blond bangs off her forehead wordlessly. He wasn't one to believe in intuition, but there was something nagging at him and he couldn't help but voice that opinion.
“I still think they mixed up the orders around somehow.” He murmured, eyes fixed on the only sunny spot to him in the pre-dawn park that they stood in. They both had missions, but where Shikamaru's was bordering on the down right mundane of patrolling in the Land of Fire, the other's had a mission intercepting Sound ninja.
“Not really, if you think about it.” She touched gently his face, her hand cupping his cheek. Being alone, he allowed his hand to go up and hold hers closer to him. “I got the perfect jutsu to bring someone back alive.” She moved her hand to cover his mouth, acknowledging that his Shadow Possession was effective without the risk of leaving a body vulnerable as hers could if she needed more concentration on controlling one body than on both. “ This could be the break Konoha needs to get info about infiltrating the Sound village.”
He humphed into her hand, his breath tickling her palm and making her smile before pulling her hand away from his mouth and back to the side of his face, making the point that he wanted to talk to her and still wanted her touch at the same time.
“I don't have to like this you know. It's troublesome, worrying about what antics you're going to pull and no one I know will be around to keep an eye on you.” Ino found herself rolling her eyes, despite the way Shikamaru pointed out she would be assigned with a team they knew little about, and not knowing how to soothe his nerves about that.
“Guess I'll have to behave myself for once.” She smirked. “I can follow orders, you know. I'll do the mission and be home. I'll come back to you.” He flinched, just a tightening around his dark charcoal eyes but Ino Yamanaka made it a habit to study the expressions of this lazy ninja to know what the slightest of changes could mean. “I'll come back.” She promised, one hand on the scratchy material of his chunin vest as she leaned into him for a kiss.
He bent his head to meet her lips, her arms found their way around his neck, his arms wrapped around her body, bringing hers closer to his and with the contact their kiss deepened, leaving them breathless when they finished. Her face flushed she smiled at him and it grew wider when he tentatively smiled back.
“I got you something.” She announced and then promptly fished a small black box out of her ninja tool pouch. She gloated at the surprise on his face, she loved throwing a wrench into his 200 hundred steps ahead method, it was something she enjoyed doing when they were children and especially found pleasure in it as they grew up. She flicked her wrist and tossed it to him, he caught it wordlessly and frowned at it.
“Why?” He asked, and the bewilderment on his face was evident. Although he came from a clan and they were known for their medicines, Shikamaru was not from a rich family and just-because gifts were something rare and practically un-heard of. He didn't feel comfortable when Ino would buy him something because he never really considered at a point beyond special occasions to get anything for her.
“Because I wanted to.” She sighed her impatience. “You already got me mine, how's that? I bought them at the same time, but you have to open yours before I show you mine.”
He raised an eyebrow at her comment but silently opened the box and stared at the silver ring that sat patiently in the box as if waiting for him. Before he could pull it out, Ino was there, hands carefully under the box so she could hold it while he examine the ring in the poor light. He couldn't tell for sure but he was certain there was something that was darker than the silver running horizontally along surface of the ring.
“It's a band of red thread. You know the legend?” Ino chewed her lip worriedly, she wasn't sure if he would like it or not and his scrutiny of the present and no other expression was causing her to doubt her ability to buy him a gift.
He smiled without answering and put it on his left ring finger, the same hand as the ring Ino already wore.
“It fits perfectly!” Ino breathed.
Shikamaru smirked at her elation. “I was wondering what you were wearing on your hand but it was too dark to get a good look at it.”
“Busted.” She grinned. “Do you like it?”
“Yes. You didn't have to go through the trouble you know... but thank you.” He mentally made a note that no matter how troublesome it was to wander through Konoha's busy marketplace in an attempt to find a small trinket that would make her smile just as big as the expression on her face right now. A blast of a signal whistle came through the air and they both pulled away from each other, faces somber as the world expanded away from being just the two of them.
“I guess that's that for now.” Ino embarrassedly straightened the purple material of her outfit.
“If I'm any later, Naruto and the others will have expanded on whatever sexual exploits they're making up for me.” Shikamaru grimaced in disgust at some of the raunchy things his peers could come up with for excuses why the Nara was reluctant to leave his girlfriend behind.
Ino couldn't help but feel heat rush to her face at that. “Why don't they mind their own business. Ninjas gossip worse than old wom--” Warm lips pressed to her own lips in a surprise kiss.
“Don't forget your promise, Ino.” Shikamaru whispered before jumping up into the trees high above them and heading towards the West Gate of Konoha.
Promise? For a second Ino couldn't remember what he was talking about and then it hit her. Her promise to come back to him. What was his bad feeling about? She couldn't ask, he was already long gone and another sharp signal whistle blast informed her that her mission was just about to start as well.
“I meant it, Shika.” She whispered to the place he just was before heading rapidly to the East Gate.
regardless of time, place or circumstance.
The thread may stretch or tangle
but it will never break
Title: Ties that Bind
Fandom: Naruto
Characters: ShikaIno
Word Count: 1182
Rating: T
Summary: Ino's last mission goes horribly wrong. Captured and imprisoned in a fashion beyond her worse imagining, can she possibly keep her promise to Shikamaru?
Author's Notes: Not my usual fandom and not my usual pairing. But I'm a sucker for the best friends forever turned lovers. This is going to be a multi-shot.
Shikamaru Nara couldn't help the grimace on his face, it was too early in the morning to be happy about being up and the bad feeling that sat in the middle of his gut bothered him. He put one hand in a pocket, staring down into unique pupil less blue eyes that belonged to his childhood friend and now sweetheart and gently brushing blond bangs off her forehead wordlessly. He wasn't one to believe in intuition, but there was something nagging at him and he couldn't help but voice that opinion.
“I still think they mixed up the orders around somehow.” He murmured, eyes fixed on the only sunny spot to him in the pre-dawn park that they stood in. They both had missions, but where Shikamaru's was bordering on the down right mundane of patrolling in the Land of Fire, the other's had a mission intercepting Sound ninja.
“Not really, if you think about it.” She touched gently his face, her hand cupping his cheek. Being alone, he allowed his hand to go up and hold hers closer to him. “I got the perfect jutsu to bring someone back alive.” She moved her hand to cover his mouth, acknowledging that his Shadow Possession was effective without the risk of leaving a body vulnerable as hers could if she needed more concentration on controlling one body than on both. “ This could be the break Konoha needs to get info about infiltrating the Sound village.”
He humphed into her hand, his breath tickling her palm and making her smile before pulling her hand away from his mouth and back to the side of his face, making the point that he wanted to talk to her and still wanted her touch at the same time.
“I don't have to like this you know. It's troublesome, worrying about what antics you're going to pull and no one I know will be around to keep an eye on you.” Ino found herself rolling her eyes, despite the way Shikamaru pointed out she would be assigned with a team they knew little about, and not knowing how to soothe his nerves about that.
“Guess I'll have to behave myself for once.” She smirked. “I can follow orders, you know. I'll do the mission and be home. I'll come back to you.” He flinched, just a tightening around his dark charcoal eyes but Ino Yamanaka made it a habit to study the expressions of this lazy ninja to know what the slightest of changes could mean. “I'll come back.” She promised, one hand on the scratchy material of his chunin vest as she leaned into him for a kiss.
He bent his head to meet her lips, her arms found their way around his neck, his arms wrapped around her body, bringing hers closer to his and with the contact their kiss deepened, leaving them breathless when they finished. Her face flushed she smiled at him and it grew wider when he tentatively smiled back.
“I got you something.” She announced and then promptly fished a small black box out of her ninja tool pouch. She gloated at the surprise on his face, she loved throwing a wrench into his 200 hundred steps ahead method, it was something she enjoyed doing when they were children and especially found pleasure in it as they grew up. She flicked her wrist and tossed it to him, he caught it wordlessly and frowned at it.
“Why?” He asked, and the bewilderment on his face was evident. Although he came from a clan and they were known for their medicines, Shikamaru was not from a rich family and just-because gifts were something rare and practically un-heard of. He didn't feel comfortable when Ino would buy him something because he never really considered at a point beyond special occasions to get anything for her.
“Because I wanted to.” She sighed her impatience. “You already got me mine, how's that? I bought them at the same time, but you have to open yours before I show you mine.”
He raised an eyebrow at her comment but silently opened the box and stared at the silver ring that sat patiently in the box as if waiting for him. Before he could pull it out, Ino was there, hands carefully under the box so she could hold it while he examine the ring in the poor light. He couldn't tell for sure but he was certain there was something that was darker than the silver running horizontally along surface of the ring.
“It's a band of red thread. You know the legend?” Ino chewed her lip worriedly, she wasn't sure if he would like it or not and his scrutiny of the present and no other expression was causing her to doubt her ability to buy him a gift.
He smiled without answering and put it on his left ring finger, the same hand as the ring Ino already wore.
“It fits perfectly!” Ino breathed.
Shikamaru smirked at her elation. “I was wondering what you were wearing on your hand but it was too dark to get a good look at it.”
“Busted.” She grinned. “Do you like it?”
“Yes. You didn't have to go through the trouble you know... but thank you.” He mentally made a note that no matter how troublesome it was to wander through Konoha's busy marketplace in an attempt to find a small trinket that would make her smile just as big as the expression on her face right now. A blast of a signal whistle came through the air and they both pulled away from each other, faces somber as the world expanded away from being just the two of them.
“I guess that's that for now.” Ino embarrassedly straightened the purple material of her outfit.
“If I'm any later, Naruto and the others will have expanded on whatever sexual exploits they're making up for me.” Shikamaru grimaced in disgust at some of the raunchy things his peers could come up with for excuses why the Nara was reluctant to leave his girlfriend behind.
Ino couldn't help but feel heat rush to her face at that. “Why don't they mind their own business. Ninjas gossip worse than old wom--” Warm lips pressed to her own lips in a surprise kiss.
“Don't forget your promise, Ino.” Shikamaru whispered before jumping up into the trees high above them and heading towards the West Gate of Konoha.
Promise? For a second Ino couldn't remember what he was talking about and then it hit her. Her promise to come back to him. What was his bad feeling about? She couldn't ask, he was already long gone and another sharp signal whistle blast informed her that her mission was just about to start as well.
“I meant it, Shika.” She whispered to the place he just was before heading rapidly to the East Gate.