Thought it was You Shikamaru. (Shikaino Shikamaru x ino)

Chapter 45: Unspoken Regrets

Ino paced nervously near the training grounds, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows on the ground. Her heart raced as she rehearsed what she wanted to say to Shikamaru. The lingering tension between them felt like a heavy cloud, and she knew they had to confront it. As she caught sight of him approaching, she took a deep breath, hoping to find the right words.

"Hey, Shikamaru," she said, her voice slightly shaky. She tried to sound casual, but the weight of the moment made her feel anything but.

"Hey," he replied, his tone flat as he crossed his arms, his usual lazy demeanor replaced by a defensive posture. He looked away, as if he were gathering his thoughts or maybe even avoiding hers.

Ino hesitated, struggling to find a starting point. "So... about what happened the other night..." She swallowed hard, the words feeling like stones lodged in her throat. "I think we need to talk."

"Yeah, I guess we do," he said, his eyes still averted. The silence that followed felt charged with unspoken words and lingering awkwardness.

Ino took a step closer, determination building within her. "I just... I regret that night. It shouldn't have happened."

His head snapped up, surprise etched across his face. "You regret having sex with me?"

Ino's heart sank, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "No! That's not what I'm saying!" She felt the frustration bubbling to the surface. "I just think it was too soon, and now everything is so awkward between us."

"Is that not what you just said? Wow, I never expected to hear that from my own girlfriend. Are you that ashamed of me?" His voice held a hint of bitterness, and it stung deeper than she expected.

"Girlfriend? I've never heard you say that," Ino shot back, crossing her arms defensively. She was caught off guard by the term, yet a part of her longed for it to be true.

"Yeah, maybe I regret it," he said sharply, his gaze finally locking onto hers with an intensity that made her heart race for all the wrong reasons.

"Shikamaru, that's not fair," Ino protested, her voice rising. "I'm not ashamed of you! I just think we rushed into something without really talking about it. I mean, it was a big step for both of us!"

He scoffed, his posture rigid. "So, what am I supposed to take from that? That you regret being with me? It feels pretty clear."

"That's not what I meant!" Ino took a step closer, frustration bubbling over. "I just didn't expect everything to change so quickly! One minute we're friends, and then-"

"And then we crossed a line, and now you want to act like it never happened?" Shikamaru interrupted, his tone hardening. "What do you want me to say, Ino? That I didn't enjoy it? Because I did."

Ino felt her heart race, torn between the desire to reach out and the fear of pushing him further away. "Look, I know it was confusing, but I didn't think we were ready for something like this. I just want us to go back to how things were before-"

"Before what? Before I became your 'mistake'?" he shot back, his voice laced with sarcasm. "I thought we were on the same page. I thought we could trust each other."

"Trust each other? You mean like how you've avoided me since it happened?" Ino challenged, her own frustration boiling over. "You're the one who's been acting weird!"

"Yeah, maybe because I'm still processing everything!" Shikamaru ran a hand through his hair, visibly agitated. "You're making it sound like it was some huge mistake, and that hurts, Ino."

Ino's eyes softened, seeing the pain in his expression. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I just... I wish we had talked more about what we wanted. I want to figure this out together."

Shikamaru's expression faltered, and for a moment, she thought he might relent. But then he turned away, his voice dropping to a whisper as if he was trying to shield his feelings. "Whatever. Forget it."

"Shikamaru, please don't just walk away!" Ino reached out, grabbing his arm, her heart racing. "We can't leave it like this. I don't want to lose you."

He paused, looking down at her hand on his arm, his eyes clouded with a mixture of hurt and anger. "You're already losing me, Ino," he said quietly. "You can't just take back everything we had and expect it to be normal again."

Ino's heart sank, and she felt the weight of his words. "I'm sorry," she whispered, letting go of his arm as if it burned her. "I didn't mean for it to come out like that."

With a heavy sigh, Shikamaru stepped back, his gaze still fixed on the ground. "I need time to think," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. Without another word, he turned and walked away, leaving Ino standing there, feeling the heavy silence close in around her. She watched him go, wishing she could take back her words and the weight of the moment that had just passed between them, but knowing it was too late.