Hello all, WildThing here! You might recognize the first three chapters of this story from a title 'Can't Hold Us' by Hannabell Fester...well, that was me!

I went to upload the final 2 chapters of this fic and realized that I couldn't remember my password. I had it emailed to me, I logged in, I thought I'd be back under my old penn-name. Turns out I didn't use the same email under Hannabell Fester? And this account is completely separate from that one apparently? I don't know. So I decided to use this account and just simply re-upload chapters 1-3 and add the final 2. Everybody happy! :)

Comment, review, like, follow...over various social media jargon...but above all, enjoy!

xoxo

- WildThing

*DISCLAIMER** I own nothing! I promise! I swear! Here, have a cookie! :3

The Invitation

The wedding invitation lay unopened on Ino's kitchen table. It arrived that morning while she was at the flower shop. She had come home and put her groceries on the counter and hung up her shawl by the front door. Mindlessly, she stooped down to pick up the pile of mail that had been pushed through her letterbox. Ino didn't see it at first, but her heart stopped beating when she finally did lay eyes on it. Her hands shook and she dropped the rest of the mail to the floor. She felt like she was going to vomit. Her worst nightmare was coming true.

Ino composed herself enough to walk back into the kitchen, place the invitation on the table, and dig through her purse to find her cell phone. She wasted no time hitting "speed dial 1"…Sakura, her best friend since childhood. She reached up into the cabinet next to the refrigerator and retrieved her very large but very inexpensive bottle of emergency wine. She uncorked it as the phone began to ring at Sakura's.

Ino and Sakura, each with a wineglass in hand, sat at the kitchen table and stared down the invitation. The ivory paper with the linen-finish, the expert calligraphy…it was over-done in every way possible. Clearly this woman was trying to flaunt every penny she was marrying into.

"How long has Choji known her?" Sakura ventured. Ino sighed deeply.

"I'm not sure, but not nearly long enough." Ino slugged down the rest of her wine and reached for a refill. Now it was Sakura's turn to sigh heavily.

"So what are you going to do Ino?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you going to R.S.V.P 'attending' or 'not attending'?" The blonde haired woman lowered the wineglass from her lips and set it gently on the table. She tucked her other hand under her chin and slumped down on her elbow. Her crystal blue eyes never stopped staring at the garish envelope.

"I honestly don't know…"

::Flashback::

Ino stood over Asuma's grave with 2 bouquets of flowers. The sun had just slipped behind the horizon, casting vibrant oranges and pinks into the darkening sky. It was the perfect setting for what she had in mind. A warm breeze swept through the cemetery, carrying with it the thick scent of gardenias. They would be in the presence of the man who brought them together, and them brought them closer. If it wasn't for Asuma sensei, she wouldn't have been able to get to know Choji the way she had…and then she never could have fallen in love with him. That's what she had planned for tonight. She was going to tell Choji that she loved him.

Choji showed up right when Ino had asked him to be there. They said a prayer for Asuma together, and Ino lay down the one bouquet she had made for him. She took a deep breath, stood up and handed the second one to Choji. He had raised his eyebrow as he slowly came to his feet.

"What's that for?" he asked pointedly.

"It-it's for you, Choji." She could feel her voice begin to crack in her throat. Her teammate was still confused.

"I made this for you. I know how much you like wildflowers, so I got you some. But you know how flowers mean certain things, so that's why there's a rose…"

In the center of the bouquet was a single, long steam aburnish rose. Choji blinked in surprise as he took the flowers from Ino.

"I know it's supposed to be red, but this one matched the color of your hair so I thought it'd be more fun to use it. Since it's for you. I mean…what I'm trying to say here Choji is that-"

"You're in love with me?" Choji interrupted. Ino blushed deeply and forced herself to look him directly in the eye.

"Yes. Choji Akamichi, I love you. And, if you'll let me, I want to take you out for BBQ after this…as a first official date…my treat." It came out a little shaky, but much better than she had imagined it would sound. Choji began to laugh nervously.

"You can't be serious Ino…you hate me! You're always so mean to me, you call me fat! Come to think of it, you're not very nice to anyone! Ino, you are so self-centered and cruel…how do I know that this isn't some sick joke and you secretly have this being videotaped right now?"

Ino was at a loss for words. This is how Choji saw her? His face was twisted in anger, thinking this was the final prank she would ever play on him. He wasn't about to be seen as foolish ever again.

"You are so fickle when it comes to guys. One week it's the bartender, the next week you're blabbing on about someone else. How can I trust that anything you say in genuine? Do you even have real feelings?"

Ino stood frozen to the ground like a pillar driven deep into the earth. The man she had truly fallen in love with was the person who seemed to hate her the most. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Everything had been sucked out of her…confidence, heart, soul, hope, happiness…

Without a single sound, she turned and ran. She ran as hard and fast as they could possibly carry her. Tears streaked down her face like rain on a windshield. It's true, she had been cruel and selfish in the past, but she had changed. She had grown into a great kunouchi, a caring friend and a beautiful woman inside and out. Ino Yamanaka wasn't the same little spoiled girl that she used to be. Why couldn't he see that?

She ran all the way to her house and slammed the door, locking it behind her. She stood with her back against the wall in her foyer, and slowly slid down until she was a sobbing heap on the floor. She didn't move for hours.

That was the last time Ino and Choji had spoken. One year ago, and she still couldn't move on.

::End Flashback::

Ino took another huge gulp of wine and stared at her now half-empty glass. Sakura leaned over and patted her friends arm reassuringly.

"You don't need to decide right this second. Let's call Temari and get you away from this thing," Sakura gestured towards the invitation, "I think you could use a stronger drink."