Shikamaru was walking to nowhere in particular, enjoying the rare days where he didn’t need to act like he wasn’t busy because now, he really wasn’t. He had his hands in his pockets and he smiled as a bunch of little kids passed by, passing a ball around. He passes by a tree and glimpses a familiar cascade of blonde hair. Shrugging to himself he climbed up the hill to join his teammate.

Ino was sitting on a bench positioned under a tree and had a sketchbook on her lap. Her eyebrows were creased in concentration and she had her tongue out a little. Shikamaru leaned over her shoulder to see what she was drawing and lifted an eyebrow.

“Is that Sasuke as a duck?”

Ino squealed in surprise and hugged the sketchbook to her chest. She looked up at Shikamaru with a blush tinting her cheeks. Shikamaru kept his eyebrow up.

Ino cleared her throat and evaded his eye.

“I thought… this might help me get over him…” Ino said, releasing the sketchbook from her grasp.

Shikamaru sighed and instantly regretted coming up there as Ino sniffed and hastily wiped away her tears.

“Did you draw anything else?” Shikamaru asked, sitting down next to her.

“Uh, yeah,” Ino said and flipped through some pages. “I drew this when we were still in the academy.”

Shikamaru scrutinized a crayon colored page that looked like him, Choji, and Ino. He smiled slightly at the less than professional work of art and Ino grew defensive.

“What?” she demanded.

“Nothing,” Shikamaru reassured. “Anything else?”

Ino nodded and flipped more to the back of the book. “I drew this last week.”

It was a sketch of some of the flowers that must’ve been delivered to the Yamanaka’s flower shop recently. Shikamaru’s expression grew impressed.

“That’s pretty good.”

“What’s with the tone of surprise?” Ino said smugly. “You expected me to have the same span of talent as I had when I was six?”

Shikamaru smirked. “Still not as good as Sai though.”

“Of course,” Ino said. “He’s actually an artist.”

Shikamaru pulled out a cigarette as Ino searched through her sketchbook again.

“Look,” Ino said, excited. “It’s you.”

Shikamaru blinked when he saw the drawing. It was his usual bored expression alright and his eyes and mouth, but instead of his face, Ino had drawn his facial body parts on a pineapple.

“I have no comment.”

“Is it good or not?” Ino said, pouting.

“It’s special.”

“Gee, thanks,” Ino then flipped the page and there was Choji as an onigiri.

“You should try abstract art,” Shikamaru said, as Ino went back to her Sasuke duck drawing.

“Nah, I think some of these might make other people upset.”

“Why? Did you draw the Hokage on two giant melons?”

“Similar to that, yes.”

“No way,” Shikamaru said in amusement. “She’d kill you.”

“That’s why I didn’t show her,” Ino snapped at him playfully. “Will you leave me in peace with my Sasuke duck, please?”

“Sure, carry on.”

The pencil scratching against the surface of the paper disturbed the silence in almost a calming manner. Shikamaru blew out some smoke and put the cigar back into his mouth. Ino glanced at him a few times as she worked.

“What did Temari say about your smoking problem?”

Shikamaru sighed. “It’s not a problem, it’s an extracurricular activity.”

“Right, just like jumping into a shark infested sea or running into a war zone is an extracurricular activity.”

“It’s not that bad—“

“Don’t try to change the subject,” Ino said as she drew a line carefully. “What did Temari say?”

Shikamaru took a minute to think and he smothered the tiny flame in his cigarette. “She said she would destroy my lungs before the tobacco could get to them if she even smelled the smoke on my clothes again. What a pain…”

“She’s right to say that you know. She’s worried, and everyone else is too.”

“I’ll survive,” Shikamaru said, grunting as he stood to leave. “Besides, it’s not as if I’m hooked on it. This is the only one I’ve had in a month.”

Ino narrowed her eyes at him. “In a few more months you’ll be saying: ‘this is the only one I’ve had today.’”

Shikamaru scratched his cheek and smiled nervously. “Fine, if you two blondes are so against it, I’ll stop.”

“Thank you.”

Shikamaru turned to leave when Ino cleared her throat. He face her again to see her holding out her hand. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow and her hand kept insisting. Finally, he gave in and reached into his pocket and pulled out his pack of cigarettes. He gave it to her and she smiled in satisfaction.

“Now, you may leave,” Ino said, gesturing down the hill.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and waved a lazy goodbye, disappearing down the hill.

Why am I always associated with a pineapple?