SoleAccord

In the Shadow of the Cherry Trees | A Naruto RP

Okay, Ino can escalate from here or run off any tell anyone who will listen... unless Sakura decides to tell her not to. I was just going to have Shikamaru suggest that they need to get going, and that he was going to take Sakura out for dinner, which would give Ino the excuse to disappear, but I wanted to see if Sakura had any thoughts on Ino running around and spreading word of her new relationship. Thoughts?

In the Shadow of the Cherry Trees | A Naruto RP

Shikamaru had a select few ideas about what Sakura could possibly be rushing back to him for, nearly crashing into him in the process. His first guess was that Tsunade needed him for a priority mission; it made sense that the Hokage learned something while she taught Sakura and Ino, and was in a rush to begin recruitment for it. The second guess was related to Ino; maybe there was some good news after all, something new to be learned about his teammates feelings about him. In a way, the second guess was the correct one. He was learning something new, just not related to Ino.

Sakura had taken the initiative and would assume the role of his new girlfriend, but that knowledge was less surprising than discovering Ino was intrigued by it.

“She actually—“

He was cut short by the call for their attention by none other than Ino herself. With very little time to find this new character, being Sakura’s new boyfriend, Shikamaru had begun to formulate a strategy. Ino was a very predictable adversary outside of actual combat; triggering her own wants and desires was the game plan, but it would require both Sakura and himself to play this carefully. Avoiding contradictions could be simple if they left together, and Ino didn’t dig too deeply into this budding relationship.

A tinge of crimson built on his cheeks when Ino scooted between Sakura and himself, entering in a proximity he would need to get used to. An ecstatic shimmer in her blue eyes was followed by a step forward and a spin on her heel. Obviously she approved. It wasn’t exactly the expression he was hoping to get, but it was a good start.

Next came the questioning phase, with Sakura replying before a single letter could leave his lips. Not only did she have to make him sound like a good guy, she also had to know him better than Ino herself. Without the time to rehearse their roles the situation could go either way. For now, he could only put his faith in Sakura, quietly analyzing Sakura’s decision-making skills under pressure.

‘Me asking you out is smart. Bold.’ He thought to himself. Ino had little interest in shy men, and especially ones that didn’t go for what they wanted. She continued. ‘A picnic… not too bad. Humble. Holding hands and staring at clouds does sound like me.’

Sakura decided that a kiss was the perfect end to their date. Again, a bold move… perhaps too bold, even for him. A small wince occurred by his right eye, one that Ino thankfully did not catch, before giving Sakura the best and most earnest smile he could manage. It wasn’t how he thought he’d end a date, and maybe that was just an implication of her desires more than his, but she had understood him well enough to not leave a doubt anywhere else in her story. His focus returned to Ino just as she gave her show of support for them both.

Sakura beat him to the response once again before locking their hands together. Ideally that would be the end of it. Ino supported them, wanted the very best for them, but the curiosity of this new and sudden romance would be too much for her to just walk away from. There was too much she didn’t understand. Her best friend, now dating her teammate who was the least likely bachelor in the village, out of nowhere. That was the kind of thing you didn’t let go.

“So, what was the kiss like?”

Sometimes he wished he was just plain wrong.

“Ino,” He began, cutting in before Sakura could speak a word of it. She had done well so far, but it wasn’t his style to let a woman do all the talking for him. “Normally I would say that you’re digging too deep, but you’d just ask Sakura later anyway. Right?”

“Bingo!” Ino exclaimed with two sharp nods.

‘Keeping private about it is only going to make her interest escalate, so I can’t just leave her with nothing…’ Shikamaru mused, sighing. “Well… at first I wasn’t sure if it was the right move to make, but I didn’t want to end the date on just a hug. The fact she even said yes to spending the time with me was fortunate. I wanted Sakura to see that I was willing to meet her more than halfway. I still remember the look on her face.”

Ino leaned closer to the pair with widened eyes. “You totally went for it? No way!” She cried, thrilled. “I didn’t think you had it in you!”

“I didn’t either,“ Shikamaru admitted. He turned to the cherry blossom beside him, finding his smile again and putting it on display. “And apparently neither did you. You should’ve seen the look on your face. I almost pulled away, I thought I was going to scar you!”

His hand in hers tensed, hoping that he had guessed correctly her surprise. Imagine him, moving in on her for a kiss. Unfathomable. How could she not be surprised in that pretend scenario? ‘We keep this up and she’ll be trying to wrap her head around it all night.’

“Kyaaaa!~” Ino’s hands covered her cheeks, unable to contain the wide grin that appeared. “I can’t believe it, I just can’t! My little Sakura is growing up after all! I can’t wait to tell everyone else!”

Shikamaru blinked. “What?”

“You don’t think I’m going to keep this all to myself, do you?” Ino hugged herself with glee. “I’ve gotta say that I never would’ve thought it possible, but Shikamaru… you’ve really stepped up! I’m almost stunned into silence over here!”

Her smile was blinding to him, and he lost any will he had to defuse her evident joy. It was by Sakura’s choice that she was now entrapped in the role of his girlfriend, and while he didn’t know if she wanted this getting out, she had to have known that Ino couldn’t possibly keep this all to herself for long.

Kindling Spirits | A Legend of Korra RP

Gotcha.

I see. I won't be responding to the threads, but I might find GoT in me to do soon. As for your ongoing struggles, I understand, and I've been there, but you've gotten through college farther than me, I just couldn't care enough to try and finish, even for a generic degree. I hate education like no other. Fuck learning Spanish btw. Pass.

Kindling Spirits | A Legend of Korra RP

You know what really strikes me about what you just said is, 'Mostly talking now so posts will likely be shorter,' because I feel like you're still holding onto that stigma of "Short posts = being lazy."

Now MAYBE I'm misreading that very simple sentence, but I just wanna reaffirm: we have NOTHING to prove to anyone. We know our worth. We know that we want to be much more 'in the moment' than our onslaught of essay against essay each time. So if by any chance you STILL feel like a shorter post may be bad, just relaaax. I'd call our last couple replies shortish and they're great!~

In the Shadow of the Cherry Trees | A Naruto RP

I'll probably have Ino press the two further, since this revelation is too juicy to ignore. They're the first couple to emerge out of the Rookie 9, so Ino's gotta know more, y'know?

I will hold off on ANY replies until Sunday night, so you have the opportunity to work on your essay without distraction.

In the Shadow of the Cherry Trees | A Naruto RP

Just hearing the term ‘lovesick’ had brought some discomfort to Shikamaru, somewhere where Sakura’s eyes couldn’t see. He had known women were going to be challenging as he had grown older, but he did not expect it to hit him this hard, this soon. If you had told him months ago that he would start seeing Ino as more than just a childhood friend, a teammate, and a comrade, the fit of laughter that would follow might have scared you. It had little to do with Ino as a person; she was outgoing, considerate, and strong. Even back then he had known she’d be quite a catch as she got older. But to attract him? Him, of all people? That was something he couldn’t have expected.

Sakura’s hand on his shoulder had brought him ease, and he had offered her a smile in thanks. He tensed at her offering of knowledge, hoping there would be some light in this strange, foreboding tunnel he was about to travel into. Alas, Sakura had confirmed it: Ino saw him as the figure he already knew she would, nothing more than a brother. That meant trust and comfort, but there wasn’t room to come to him about more personal matters. Normally he’d be thankful. Normally he wouldn’t be thinking about a woman like this. Life was becoming more complicated by the day.

“I see. Can’t say I didn’t see that coming,” Shikamaru said with a slight smile, his face etched with disappointment. Sakura continued, and his brow raised at her suggestion. Ino seeing him dating someone to help see him as a man? It was crazy enough to work. ‘Ino wouldn’t admit it, but she seems like just the type of girl to be interested in something like that,’ the Nara thought to himself. ‘Sakura might be on to something.’

She withdrew her hand, prompting him to roll the arm in its socket before pocketing his hands and offering her a more genuine smile. This conversation was going places, but unfortunately Sakura had already arrived to the very place she needed to get to. And here he was, keeping her waiting with his nonsense.

He gave her a small nod to her wink and watched her jog inside, turning to face at her back. “Thanks again, I owe you for this!” he said, just before she disappeared inside and got to work. Turning on his heel, he had headed back the way he had come with her, thinking aloud. “Sakura’s not a bad strategist herself.”

As helpful as Sakura’s advice was, it would ultimately be up to him to learn how to court a woman. Asking Asuma-Sensei would do no good, as he was out on a mission and would be gone for some time. His own father seemed the smartest option, but it was an option he didn’t want to explore until he had to. If he thought bringing up his dilemma to Sakura was hard, his father was going to be impossible. There were just some things he didn’t want to bring up, not even to his old man.

So, Shikamaru turned to literature. The Hidden Leaf’s own bookstore housed creative works, but also guides that one would find useful in anything—home improvement, cook books, but most importantly relationships and the art of romance. He took a seat in the farthest corner of the store that he could, stack of relevant works in hand, and had begun to skim them to find information he could use. Some advice seemed sound, and some sounded far too hopeless to ever work in a real-life situation. Still, being completely naive to courting, he would take what he could stomach to apply to a real woman. When at last he had closed the final book, he noted that a handful of hours had already passed.

‘3 already?’ He thought with mild surprise, returning his books and departing the bookstore emptyhanded. The irritating pinch of his stomach had kicked in right on time, reminding them that he hadn’t ate since breakfast. ‘Guess I could go out and get something to eat in a bit,’ Shikamaru glanced up at the clouds while maneuvering himself back home. ‘A fake girlfriend, huh? A little unorthodox for sure, but it’s the best way to get Ino to look on me as a man. But then, who would even go for me even to pretend? Hinata’s too shy, and Tenten doesn’t even look like she has time to worry about men. Who else?’

Shikamaru’s attention fell forward again as the Nara compound came into view. What he wouldn’t give right now to be as carefree as the kids that occasionally ran by. ‘Maybe… maybe—‘ a voice called out to him, and he turned around to see a familiar face hustling towards him.

“Sakura?”

Kindling Spirits | A Legend of Korra RP

Really? I thought you wanted them to talk before that? I must have misread. Okay, okay, got you.

So after the ruined arena, the boys and the girls try to hash things out and move on? That sounds good to me.

In the Shadow of the Cherry Trees | A Naruto RP

You think she'd have anxiety, like us? Oh god, like us... xDDDDD

It's not possible. The need for an increase in rank wouldn't be as important as becoming stronger with a Legendary Sannin. He can always take the exam later on and absolutely crush it later. For now, Sakura and Ino can be the stars, as well as EVERYONE ELSE who became Chuunin over the two and a half year timeskip. Let me just say that if we get far enough, IF we get to the point Naruto comes back, he's going to be a lot more grown up, and a lot less naive.

Kindling Spirits | A Legend of Korra RP

I meant Mako and Bolin talk, then you wanted Korra to be confronted by Asami, right? This is all before the park.

Are you SURE you don't want to write it out? You don't want Bolin to have some words for the man? xD

Sapphire Roses

The seals Genkai place will be strong enough to ward them away from Shiori, but a fully-empowered Goshikuro is going to crush those seals quite handily. At the very least it bought them time.

Looking forward to transforming now ;3