Hey everybody...again!!! I dunno y but i have this habit of wanting 2 write a new story when i havent even finished 1 story 4rm my list yet...thats sad huh? oh well...i just suck is all. Hahah...

Ne wayz...i just watched the NARUTO: SHIPPUDEN episode on youtube thurs. I guess its pretty good so far...not exactly what i was expecting that's 4 sure...i like the music though and the theme song...hehe...u just gotta luv japanese hip-hop. What i wanted 2 c in the 1st eppie was the bell test...so i can c sakura kick sum serious tooshie. but oh well...all's in a weeks time.

Disclaimer: Oh yeah...hey everybody! I'm Masashi Kishimoto and this story just so happens to be a copy of my future work that I'm planning to add in the manga!...

...tch yea rite... ---- (XiaoyuKaede speaking)---- ...but it would be cool if i made up this series...

Side note: in flashback mode:

text normal text

text thoughts

in normal mode/non-flashback mode:

text normal text

text thoughts


(Flashback)

11 years ago...

"Hey Shikamaru! Pass the ball!" Ino yelled from across the school yard as she placed her hands around her mouth as she spoke. Reluctantly, he shifted his head toward her but then slumped down in his usual position on the ground; the cold, fresh grass embrassing his back as he leisurely looked up at the sky with pleasure.

"Hey! Are you listening to me, Shika!?" Sakura screamed towards him, hoping he would make an answer to that.

Shikamaru grumbled as he turned over to his side. "Don't call me that, you retard."

"Just pass the ball and we'll leave you alone." Tenten replied calmly.

He just stared ignorantly at them and rolled his eyes. "You girls stop being lazy and come over here and get it. What do I look like to you, you're servant?" He huffed loudly as he placed his hands behind his head and sighed. He closed his eyes slowly before he heard loud stomping come his way.

Ino snorted at him ferociously as she bent down roughly to pick the ball up. "What's your problem, Shika? You were closest to the ball, so you had to get it." She explained, pointing a stiff finger as he shrugged.

"Yeah, she's right." Hinata backed her up.

Shikamaru grumbled while he grinned to himself in boredom. "I wasn't even playing in your stupid game. I don't see why I have to get it."

Ino hissed to herself, admitting defeat.

"If you have nothing else to say, can you go now? You said that if you got the ball back, you would stop bothering me. But you have the ball and youre still bothering me. What are you, stupid?" He quickly fired back, his eyes locked on her face.

(RING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

"Geez...look what at what you've done. Recess is over!" Tenten slapped her head in disappointment.

"Yeah...thanks a lot." Ino gripped the ball tight as she targeted for his head, only letting it bounce hard on his arm that shielded his head. He murmured as he watched the four girls walk away infuriated.

"What a pain..." Mumbled Shikamaru, blowing off the hair brushed on his forehead.

"Dude man, you just gonna let girls like them tell you off?" Naruto walked in with Sasuke, Lee, Neji, Kiba, and Sai trailing behind.

Shikamaru spat on the ground to the right of him as his eyes slowly turned over to the speaker. "...I don't really care...besides, making trouble with people like that is a waste of time." He said, jolting himself up in a squatting positon.

"You want us to beat those girls up for you?" Kiba popped his knuckles, grinding his teeth together.

"You ignored what I just said. " Shikamaru yawned, tapping his mouth with a hand. "...eh...do whatever."

"YEAH!" All the boys screamed, charging at the girls. One by one all the girls were caught by the boys as they all shouted for help.

"HEY!" Sakura screamed with Lee and Naruto tugging both sides of her pigtails. "It's not funny! This really hurts!" Both boys snickered to each other as Sakura continued to free herself away from their grasp.

"Get off, you're heavy!" Tenten cried out, wiggling her way out from Neji sitting on her back.

Hinata yelled, tears jerking out of her eyes as she ran for her life. "Someone! Help me!" She kept running until she ran into a tree, climbing it swiftly to escape from Kiba and Sai. She gasped for breath and clutched a tree branch, gripping it tight as her eyes spat out more tears.

"Darn...She's up on that tree now." Kiba asked Sai.

"Yeah...I noticed that. But...what now?"

"Let's wait till she falls down." Kiba thought out instantly. The two boys squatted down and looked up, waiting for the moment until that prediction would ever happen.

"Ugh...that's it." Ino threw the ball at a charging Sasuke in the face and stared at him. "You boys better stop beating ,e and my friends up." She shouted angrily, looking at Sasuke whose face was deep down underground. Ino pouted, going after the rolling ball but came to a hault as soon as Shikamaru's foot caugh the ball's movement.

He pressed his foor against it and bent down to sit on it.

"Just what so you plan to do with that ball anyway?" Ino questioned him, standing right in front of his presense.

"I'm not giving it to you, that's for sure." He ignorantly replied.

Ino stared and squat down so that her head was leveled with his. She glared angrily at him as he did the same.

He stared.

She stared.

He stared.

She stared.

He stared.

She stared.

"Quit staring at me." Shikamaru finally said.

'You're staring too stupid."

"So what if I am? You stared at me first."

"That's because I had to stare at you, dumbdumb." At that moment, fire literally was seen coming out of both the childrens' eyes as they watched the other furiously with hate.

"You're a waste of time, Ino." Shikamaru blurted out with a malicious grin and poked her on the head as he rose from his seat. "But then again, it wasn't a waste. To think, you ACTUALLY looked cute when angry. It was fun to see."

Ino's heart pumped fast as her face turned hot pink in only a matter of seconds. She looked away instantly and at the corner of her eye, she trailed Shikamaru walking back to class.

THAT'S WEIRD...HE ACTUALLY CALLED ME CUTE...DOES...DOES THAT MEAN HE LIKES ME NOW? She turned her head completely around to find Shikamaru entering the classroom, his innocent yet serious face tilting to its side to glance once more toward her way. A small smile crept on his face as he walked back in the room.

Ino smiled at the thought and bounced up to her feet. She pranced along happily toward the classroom entrance but for some reason, cut her path short when her foot paused up in the air and stayed still. HOLD ON...HE SAID THAT I "ONLY" LOOK CUTE WHEN I'M MAD. GR...SHIKA!!! The cord connecting her brain to her legs snapped as she beamed though the classroom door without hesitation. "Shikamaru! Come here right now before I staple your butt ot that tree over there!"

(End of Flashback)

Ino slowly closed her diary and shut her eyes, leaning back in her chair as she summarized the memory. That was 11 years ago...and all those years ago...was the first year she ever got to know him for who he really was. They were still kids though...7 years old...and around that age, you would actually tell yourself that the first boy that caught your eye was actually love...for Ino, who knows what it really is. Out of all the years she had completely known him, she had wanted...more than anything...to spend many more years with him. But, the truth is, he left her five years ago. Never once telling her how he was doing or showing any care for her by checking up on her, even if he did promise to do that.

...is this really how a distance love relationship should be?...

...No...this isn't love at all...not...one...bit...

Ino pulled down her hair tie and let her long, silky blonde hair caress her body as she crept into her bed, her legs binded together from her arms. You promised me me that you would come back in 2 years...its 2 years due already...She ran her hand through her hair and sighed, her face growing hot from anger. "You said you'd come back in no time. You promised me that. You even said that there will be no mistake about it either. So...what happened now?" Ino mumbled to herself, running her hand through her hair again, this time, her hand fell to her face after doing so.

Her face turned beet red as she allowed several tears to fall from her eyes to release her frustration. She gulped abruptly, lifting her head up at the ceiling to drain back down her tears. "I can't cry...I can't. Especially for some guy like him...I just..." Ino raised her head up a little more, hoping that the tears would dry up bit by bit.

Unfortunately, her sadness was like a neverending storm that the amount of tears falling from her eyes grew. I can't stop!...I just can't... Ino sobbed uncontrollably to herself as she shook violently with anger and sadness combined together in her body. I just have to cry...I can't help it...oh God...I want this to end...I don't want to love him anymore...! She continued to sob heavily, as she covered her mouth to avoid the sound of gasping for air.

It would be so much easier if you weren't the one I loved...because...that day, when the two of us were alone together...that one sun-setting afternoon...you grabbed my hand and kept me close; close enough for me to feel your warmth caress every inch of my body...and in the seconds that followed, we just stood there...until you brought me in a tight embrace...and it felt as if...you had never wanted to let me go...that you didn't ever want to lose me. Your grip was so firm and strong that I was locked...I wasn't even able to free myself away from you...

and...I knew at that moment, that I was...crazy in love with you...

My heart couldn't stop pounding. My lungs were tight. My throat was swollen. I couldn't react as normally as I used to be...but, you...you helped me calm down...you gently pushed my head to rest on your shoulder and leaned your head in closer to my ear...whispering the sweetest, simple, most kind and thoughtful words in my ear...

...those words being...

"I love you."

Ino let out a nasty chuckle as she wiped her water-stained eyes. "I felt like the happiest person ever to hear those words said to me." She leaned over to her desk and grabbed hold of a blue-framed picture frame. She slowly examined it, taking in the details the picture had to offer. She smiled weakly and brushed off a tear that fell. Ino flipped it over and unlatched the hook that opened and closed the frame. She took the picture out and brought it up closer to her eyes in order to view it better. The picture displayed Ino and Shikamaru 5 years ago in a lake setting where the weather was crisp and nice of clear, sunny, crystal blue skies.

Ino's eyes glanced to the left and saw her younger self smiling brightly, her hair in braids, and her lip pressed against the cheeks of a younger version of Shikamaru, who blushed slightly at her action. He had his arms placed around her waist and a tiny, almost invisible smile was shown on his face. The background consisted of all their other friends' antics as they enjoyed themselves in the lake with Sakura hugging Sasuke from behind, Naruto carrying Hinata from the back, and Neji splashing some water at Tenten.

Ino frowned and held the picture by the top center. It was true that Sakura, Tenten, and Hinata had their special guy but unluckily for them, they were placed in the same situation as Ino...with the boys gone for 5 years as well. Although, unlike Ino, they all had let their lover go and immediately forgot about them as they continued their lives without them. Ino gritted her teeth and slowly created a small rip where her fingers were located on. "...telling me those words...'I love you' made me so happy...but, how can I be happy when that person who told me those words isn't there in my life anymore?" Ino mouthed to herself, making the rip larger in length. "I regret having to ever fall in love with you and--" Ino paused for a brief second and rubbed her eyes that were beginning fog up again. "...and the only thing I can do is...let you go because the only thing I feel for you is...I hate you." Ino immediately tore the picture into two, dividing Ino on the left side while Shikamaru was divided on the right. Tears began swelling up in her eyes again as she furiously unlatched her window, while rain pounded down powerfully and gusts of wind blowing by.

For the last time, she glancedat both parts of the picture and threw out the picture of Shikamaru into the rain. She watched it fly away from hre as she threw the picture of her behind her back unto the floor. Her eyes were cloudy from new tears building up that she shut them tight for a second and released the tears the dripped down her cheeks.

You were once everything to me...but now...you mean nothing at all...

...and I couldn't be any happier.


OK! I'm done here! This chapter took me hours to type up...hmm...like 4 hours...oh well...for me, it was worth it...i luv writing...reminds me of the old days...i was in the 4th grade when i 1st started typing...and looking back...i was a really bad girl. LOL i had a crapload of cuss words there. almost every single one in the list...haha...i betcha u all mite b all like: "o yea...how very mature of u." but hey, i was still a kid and well, unfortunately, i still am. my family always remind me 2 try least act a little more my age but...i fail badly...:(...eh, o well...im still young...there's sum room 4 improvement...

Newayz...enjoy sum luv in ur life...

-XiaoyuKaede