Staged

Fifteenth Stage: Memories

"He healed me." Shikamaru said as he took another sip of his milky coffee before biting into his chocolate waffles. Ino looked up from her own plate surprised.

"He came the day after and healed you?" She seemed confused, why heal Shikamaru if it was to break him. 

"Yeah, nearly shoved his wrist in my mouth and apologized for the rape." Shikamaru was again at Ino's home but this time they were under the wide umbrella in her back yard. The kids played off close by and it was the first time the new generation of Ino-Shika-Cho all met up together. Ino wanted that desperately but now with the addition that Shikamaru might not be broken made her weary. 

Why have Naruto rape you when you would've gone along with him without a second thought.

"Granted I bit his neck after I hugged him to heal myself. He looked in pain just holding his wrist to me and I hugged him before he urged me to bite him."

"Did he explain why he did it." Ino pressed and Shikamaru nodded but his expression turned sad. 

"He was lonely and I was the last person he was considering. I was angry at that but he explained that he didn't want to pry me away from the village but when the others he wanted didn't want to go rogue with him he came for me." He giggled as he remembered the burning pain his ass felt. That was not a good way to lose virginity.

"And then I saw you and him kissing in an alley way." She pursed her lips which highlighted her clear lip gloss.

"No he deprived me for a while but he was getting a citizenship in Kumo. I met him back in the forest." Shikamaru face had gone breathless again and Ino knew that this time around Shikamaru was willing. "Aren't you a dirty little bitch." He murmured which made Ino's eyes widened. "I didn't think I was the type to go for dirty talk but Naruto is and always will be unpredictable."

"Okay skipping over the obvious sex what happened after that."

"The alley make out session, my arrest, unauthorized trampling in my mind, father's grief and Naruto getting me out. You know the rest." He gave a wide wave before finishing up his meal. Ino stayed quiet for a long while before deciding to ask the one question which would be a keystone in her healing of her bestfriend's mind.

"Shikamaru, you learnt the forbidden arts of your clan before you left." Ino eased into it as she watched his face, Shikamaru didn't seem surprised by the accusation in fact he only made a motion for her to continue which she did. "But evidence shows you have been learning it before Naruto even came for you, which begs the question. Why have Naruto rape you if you were only going to willingly go with him?"

"Let me get this straight, your asking me why did I allow Naruto to rape me if I had intentions of leaving the village seeing as I could never practice the forbidden art." Ino nodded to the summary of her question and Shikamaru only grinned even more. 

"I was already planning on a way to get Naruto back even if it was by force." Shikamaru started, looking away as a small smirk pried at his lips. "I learnt them so I could detain him, I don't have a Sharingan to hold him with but before the Sharingan there was us. Shadows so tangible we could physically restrain beasts. So I poured over them, the price and the possible treason were nothing more than nuisances to me. No matter the price Naruto was worth it."

"But why the rape? You did all this and you still let him rape you." Ino pressed as she slammed her hands down and leaned over giving him a quizzing look. "You were obviously willing so why have him rape you? Why not just say that you'd go with him?"

"I was happy okay!" Shikamaru blurted out. Ino's eyes widened as Shikamaru clenched his fists as fangs flashed in her eye sight. "He was finally looking at me! He wanted me!" He looked her dead in the eye for effect. "I didn't care for what he had in mind, I went along because he was claiming me in his own way. He raped me yes, he manipulated me yes but he was lonely. I was lonely and to have the person you've admired for years coming onto you........ I just couldn't refuse his advances when he'd obviously worked himself up to do it in the first place."

Ino dropped in her seat with a terrified expression, it was one thing to try and heal a rape victim but could this even be considered rape when the so called 'victim' was willing? "Why, why Shikamaru, why would you let him live under the impression that you were broken."

Shikamaru smirked internally. 'Kami, Ino you can't honestly believe we would answer every question truthfully? Lies make everything all the better when you crumble under them.' He looked away from her and Ino had to give him props for managing to look mildly disturbed. She rubbed her temples, what was the source now that she knew what Shikamaru had to say.  "You have that look on your face." Shikamaru murmured looking back at her, she could feel herself growing cold just by looking at him. 

"Ino I wasn't happy with how things were going at that time." He started off, muddling around his waffles. "You were happy with Sai, Karui was almost always here with Choji and I was here alone."

"But you had Temari, she was going to be your wife and when you turned rogue she cried for days on end. She even looked for you when rumors started up. How you two got by her when visiting the Sand is beyond me."  Shikamaru smiled a bit.

"Gaara was to thank for that, Naruto just came in at the perfect moment. I was depressed, drowning in this never ending cycle and just when I thought I was going to croak Naruto guided me back. I was already planning to go look for him with the new skills under my belt but he had a plan." His eyes got glossy but it wasn't tears that had yet to be fallen, it was glazed lust.

"It hurt but I didn't care. He was coming for me, wanting me and I'd be stupid not to cave into his plan and follow along even if it meant deceiving him." He turned to her with a dark smirk. "Now that you know, why not just give up? I'm not broken and I don't fancy Naruto knowing this." 

No, there was still something else. She needed to look into his mind. Her father needed a look as well. "Shikamaru I'm not giving up on you but I will keep this secret for your safety."

"My safety, Ino I'm perfectly fine being around Naruto."

"You must think I'm blind not to see the obvious hold he has over you. He's under the impression that your at his beck and call-"

"But I am." Shikamaru countered her and Ino saw how true it was. Shikamaru's eyes shone with devotion. "He may think that he achieved this devotion through rape but he's had it longer than he could've ever believed."

"How long?" She was tearing up now seeing her friend go completely off the rocks with his love for the golden hair man. "How long have you been devoted to Naruto?"

"It goes back to the first day he walked into our class at the academy holding onto the Hokage's robes. But where I acknowledged it was at the failure of the Sasuke Retrieval Mission. I buried it until he went rogue, at that point it came back full force. Eating me alive day and night." His voice had dropped and the first real serious expression came over his face. "I've always wanted him to control me, my actions, my every thought and he has. And I love every second of it. To be at his feet was my dream and he made it a reality." 

'I have some serious work cut out for me.' Ino thought as she watched the expression slip away as soon as it came. She didn't notice it but she was trembling, Shikamaru saw it and hid his smile.