To Iyan nee-san, we're very sorry for not adding the scene you requested. It just didn't seem to fit anywhere after the last sentence (sorry).

To KitsuneTurner, thank you so much for your name suggestions.

To all readers who've reviewed any of the chapters, thank you once again for your support and kind words and, to all the silent readers, if you've ever had something to tell us, today is the day.

This is it guys, the last chapter for the only ShikaIno we'll ever write.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Loves Me Not

Shikamaru cast a final glance over his shoulder and thanked Kiba, who at that moment was chugging down the entire lemonade jar, before the massive dog left the farm behind. It was only then, as the ground became uneven and having overcome the initial shock that Shikamaru realized, much to his horror, that he'd never ridden Akamaru before.

At first he'd held on to the fur around Akamaru's neck for assurance, for it was there that it grew the longest, but as the beast gained speed and began taking leaps instead of running, it became obvious that hanging on to its fur alone would not prevent him from flying of Akamaru's back at any moment.

He almost asked it to slow down, knowing that it could understand him clearly, but getting to Konoha was their priority, so he kept his mouth shut and leaned forward to wrap his arms around Akamaru's neck, regardless of how stupid that made him look.

Akamaru didn't seem to notice his struggle as it sped forward. Faster… faster… clearing yards almost effortlessly and leaping from branch to branch when they reached the forest that could only indicate they were nearing the village.

"S-Slow down!" He finally dared to say as the outer walls of Konoha came into view. "We're almost at the gate!"

Akamaru let out a low growl that sounded an awful lot like a chuckle but its speed did not decrease, not even when it was clear they would crash against the wall at any second.

"Stop!" He cried out, shutting his eyes closed and bracing himself for the impact.

"Woooooh!" Akamaru howled, pushing its hind legs hard against the last tree branch and leaping over the wall cleanly.

Shikamaru's stomach gave a violent jolt as they fell for what felt like an eternity before the dog's legs found a rooftop and they bounded forward again until Akamaru came to a violent stop that almost sent him flying off its back.

"Woof!" It barked loudly to announce that they'd arrived at their destination and Shikamaru dismounted immediately, almost falling to the side in his rush.

"Thanks buddy." He gasped, patting Akamaru's head to show his gratitude before stumbling up the hospital's entrance.

He must have been quite a sight, he realized, rushing pale-faced past the entrance on shaky legs and almost crashing against the information desk, his hair a tangled mass slipping out of his ponytail and sticking to the back of his neck and his cheeks.

"N-Nara…" He croaked to the nurse behind the desk. "Ino…"

"Room 153." She smiled, pointing down a hallway to her left. "But you might want to…"

He did not get to hear the rest of what he "might" want to do, because what he really wanted at that time was to be by Ino's side, so he dashed off before she could even finish her sentence and finally skid to a stop three doors further than he'd intended to.

The first thing he noticed as he walked back to the door marked as 153 and tried to put himself together was how deserted the hallway was. After all, if Kiba had gone out of his way to inform him of his child's birth, then most probably their closest friends were aware of the situation as well.

He'd imagined at least both Ino's parents and his would be waiting there, that's why he started to wonder if the nurse hadn't given him the wrong room by mistake.

Shikamaru couldn't exactly say what made his legs shake as he peeked through the small window at the door to make sure that the blonde locks spread over the pillow were exactly the shade of blonde he knew, or why he was so afraid of turning the knob when the only thing he wanted was to be next to her.

"Ino?" He spoke softly, closing the door behind his back. The room, just like the hallway, was empty except for the young woman lying on the bed and the eerie silence sent shivers down his spine.

Ino was sound asleep, her deep breaths the only thing he could hear. Shikamaru claimed his place on the small plastic chair next to her bed and leaned down to brush some strands of hair away from her face. His fingers shook, and now he could fully understand why.

He wished he had seen one of their parents outside so they could have told him before he had to ask the question he didn't dare say out loud. He almost went back to the front desk to ask the nurse where Sakura was, or if by any chance she'd heard a baby cry, because he knew just by looking at the way the white sheets fell over her that Ino was no longer carrying their child, but he was not in her arms either.

His stomach dropped as Ino's lids fluttered open and her drowsy eyes focussed on him. He could not go through this again, he could not stand the sight of her tears and the echo of her screams inside his head without being able to do anything about it.

He just couldn't.

"Shikamaru…" Her lips turned up at the corners in a tiny smile and she raised her hand to his, which was still caressing the side of her face. "You're back…"

"I'm sorry…" He cupped her hand between his and was surprised by how small and frail it felt. "I should have been here sooner. I'm sorry."

"Have you seen her?" A small tear glistened at the corner of her eye and Shikamaru could feel his heart shrinking in pain at the sight. "The others… they're with her now."

"W-Who?"

"The nurse… she took my…" Ino's eyes widened all of a sudden and it was at that moment, when he had let go of all hope, that he heard it.

Soft yet clear. The sound of a baby's cry.

Shikamaru let go of Ino's hand and slowly got to his feet as a chubby, red cheeked nurse rapped on the door, then poked her smiley face inside the room. If he had been thinking straight, he would have noticed that his jaw was down and that his expression couldn't have been any more ridiculous, but he was too busy staring at the small bundle of pink blankets on her arms to actually care.

"I see you're awake, dear." The nurse smiled at Ino as she stepped into the room, then her attention shifted to the young man next to her. "Oh, hello." She greeted enthusiastically. "You must be the daddy, am I right?"

Shikamaru tried to answer, but he was too disoriented (not to say stupefied) to actually say anything, so he only managed to emit a choked sound and blink repeatedly while still gaping at her.

That nurse was holding their child (a baby girl if the color of the blankets was any lead), and that was something that his brain, as gifted as it was, could not begin to process because just a few seconds ago, he'd been convinced that there was no baby at all.

"Would you like to hold her?" The nurse asked, holding out the small bundle to him.

"Uh…" Shikamaru stiffened and looked down at himself. His arms were dirty and scratched from working at the farm and the race to the hospital. There were still some chicken feathers stuck on his hair and sleeves and the front of his jacket must still have some of Akamaru's fur.

Would it be safe to hold her like that?

"What's the matter?" She tilt her head. "Don't you want to meet her?"

"Go ahead." Ino tugged at his sleeve and he finally found his voice again.

"Y-Yes…" He held out his arms awkwardly and the nurse placed the baby on them. He wasn't sure if he was doing it right because he'd never held a child before, and his was probably the smallest, frailest child he'd ever laid eyes on. He almost feared she might break as he brought her closer to his chest and looked down at her.

The baby, who had been crying all the while the nurse had been carying her, made a pause when he pressed her soflty to his chest and opened her small, swollen eyes to look up at him. She had soft, pink skin and the tuft of blonde hair atop her tiny head was the same shade as Ino's. Still, the eyes that returned his gaze were the same deep brown as his.

"H-Hello." He smiled down at her and reached for one of her tiny hands. She kicked her feet against the blanket and cooed softly, which made his legs feel weak at the knees and a knot form in his throat. "You have no idea… how much we've waited to see you."

"Have you thought of a name yet?" The nurse asked as he struggled to fight back his tears.

"Hanako." Shikamaru answered thickly, still mesmerized by her face. The strange feeling he was never able to put a name to now stronger than ever.

"Let me hold her again." Ino sat up and held out her arms, where Shikamaru carefully placed their child and she smiled down at her with tears in her eyes. "That's your Daddy, Hanako." She whispered. "He rushed all the way here to meet you."

"Isn't she just beautiful?" The nurse gushed out, her red cheeks turning a deeper shade.

Shikamaru's gaze returned to Ino's overjoyed expression as she looked down at her daughter and hummed a soft lullaby. Her blue eyes sparkled as bright as stars despite the tears pooling in on them.

"Yes." He answered with a shy smile. "She is."

The nurse pulled a camera out of the pockets of her coat and gestured for Shikamaru to step closer to the bed.

"Let's take a picture of this moments for… oh, but don't just stand there, dear! Don't you want to kiss her, at least?"

Ino smiled up at him and held Hanako a bit higher so that he could kiss her forehead. Shikamaru smiled back, kneeled next to them and ran his hand down her locks and to the back of her neck. Then, looking directly into her eyes, he leaned down and gently pressed his lips to hers.

He felt Ino's lips smile against his and the camera went out with a loud flash.

"Thank you, Ino." He whispered as he pulled back from the kiss and gently pecked the cooing baby atop the head.

"I love my job." The nurse sighed before setting the picture on the bed and walking out of the room.

"I love you…" She heard someone say before closing the door behind her.

(Loves Me… Loves Me Not… Loves Me…)

Shikamaru.- That's it? That's how it ends? REALLY?! I've been here for 33 chapters for this?!

Ino.- Can you spell clichè?

Vianey.- Hey, hey! It's our first happy ending so don't complain! The readers deserved this after all the drama of this story.

Glacia.- We do not have much to say after this but thank you. For everything. Thank you.

Vianey.- This is the end. The last chapter. There will not be an extra chapter, a sequel or anything of the sort so don't worry :P Whatever happens after the last line is up to the readers' imagination.

Ten.- *Walks in with a T-shirt that reads Game of Fear* If you're looking for something else to read, please give our other story, Game of Fear, a try. It's 100% recommended (by me, of course) and we'll start to update that now that the story we'd given priority to (Loves Me Not) is now complete.

Shikamaru.- Who cares about that? What matters is that I am now free! *starts random dancing* Oh, wait… I'm still alive in Game of Fear, God damn it!

Glacia.- We all have to go back to that nightmare Shikamaru. We all have to...

*The whole team, plush Shikamaru and Ino, bows down before you for the last time in this story*

Please don't forget to review (it's the last time, pretty please).