I've been kinda stuck on Loved You Then, Love You Now, so until I can make an outline of where I want to go with it, I'll be working on this story! Warning: This is not for Hinata fans, but I can't spoil the story. You'll see later.
Ino: Why do I have to-
Me: SHH, DON'T SPOIL IT!
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Prologue
Naruto's POV
Everything can change in an instant. I'm sure you've heard that before, at least a million times. I had too, but didn't relieve believe that it was true until it happened to me. Because in a split second, my entire life was changed.
I still remember it like it was yesterday. It was Halloween; well, really, it was November first because it was past midnight. My girlfriend Ino and I were on our way back from a Halloween party with our friends.
"Man, it sucks that forehead couldn't come," she said. Forehead was a nickname for her best friend Sakura, and she had been wanting to introduce me to her for a long time. She had had other plans that night and couldn't come.
"Aw, come on, Ino, I'll meet her someday."
"She's probably avoiding you because she's jealous and doesn't want to see us together. She doesn't want to admit that I snagged such a cutie," she said, giggling.
"Kiss ass," I said teasingly.
"Oh, you idiot, you know I love you."
"Yeah, well, you know I love you too, prima Donna."
"Naruto, you are such a- Naruto, look out!" she shrieked. I tried swerve far enough, but our cars still collided, only one side, though. The passenger side.
Ino died upon impact.
~X~
"Naruto? Oh, Naruto, tank God you're awake!" I heard my mother say as I opened my eyes groggily. The smell of antiseptic hit my nose and as my vision came into focus, I could tell from the clean white walls that I was in a hospital.
"What…happened?" I asked, trying to keep my sight from fading out again. I concentrated on my mom's bright red hair, then on my dad's spiky blonde hair, so much like my own.
"Oh, Naruto, you were in a car crash and-"
"Ino!" I shouted as realization hit me. "Where is Ino? Is she okay? I need to see Ino!"
"Honey," mom said, biting her lip," the thing about Ino is…" She looked down, tears running down her cheeks.
"I'm sorry, son, but Ino is…dead," he said sadly. He and mom had adored Ino almost as much as I had. She was the kind of person that everyone instantly loved.
"No, no she's not. She's not, you guys are lying, Ino isn't dead!" I can still remember the shock I felt after I finished yelling that she was still most definitely alive. They say denial comes after shock for most people, but I didn't find myself in shock until after I had denied the very idea of my girlfriend being dead.
"I'm sorry, Naruto," my mom said, wiping her tears. It didn't do any good because even more came.
"Ino." I whispered the beautiful name over and over again, going cold. I remember that my mind couldn't process anything. All I could say was her name. All I could hear was her shriek as her life was cut short. All I could see was her beautiful face just before the collision.
Ino was dead and it was all my fault.
~X~ Sakura's POV
It's funny how well I took loosing my best friend in the whole world. Ino was all I had. At my fancy private school, everybody called me names and generally hated me because I was top of the class. Ino was my only friend in the world and I had just gotten accepted into her school. After Christmas break, I was going to leave Konoha's Academy for Girls and start at Konoha High. I had gotten so miserable that my mother knew she had to take me out, even if I was already a junior. College transcript aside, I couldn't be crying myself to sleep every night.
Ino and I were very excited about going to school together. She had introduced me to some of her friends. Fun loving brunette Tenten, lazy genius Shikamaru, and large but totally sweet Chouji.
She was really excited about introducing me to her boyfriend, but something always came up. I really wished my cousin hadn't thrown a party that I was forced to attend so that she could have at least gotten that wish. If only I had been able to see her one last time…
So I still find it odd that it was only bad at first. Yes, I cried. I bawled my eyes out with Tenten who had now gotten close to me. But I knew in my heart that Ino wouldn't want us to spend all our time crying about her.
"Stop being such a baby, Forehead," I could almost here her say. So I let it all out at once, not allowing any emotions to be pent up. It still hurt, but in Ino's memory, I had to move on with my life. She have liked it that way.
And so I found myself able to recover faster. Ino was all that I had; no I only had her memory and I couldn't disrespect it like that. I let myself move on just in time for the visitation.
I can still remember getting ready, sliding into a pink dress that she had helped me pick out. She had one just like it in purple. The dress she would be wearing when she was buried also had a twin in my closet. I knew she would want me to wear it to the funeral because we had loved to match ever since we were four years old.
They say that everything can change in an instant. I've heard that a million times over, but I didn't really believe anything like that could happen to me until that night because that night I finally met Uzumaki Naruto.
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Review, review, and perhaps I'll have the first chapter up soon!
Ino: *sobs* Why must the good die young?
Me: This story will mostly be told from Naruto and Sakura's POV, with the occasional Hinata and Tenten, perhaps something from their other friends too.
