A picture`s worth a thousand words
By shykunoichi914
-Ino-
I`ve always thought there was something special about Sai. When I first laid eyes on him, I thought he was cool, since he reminded me of Sasuke: His relaxed aura, his demure, mysterious personality, and, of course, his looks. But as I studied him more that day when we met at the barbeque place, I realized there was something special about him; he was different from the others. I like different.
So every time I`d see Sakura I`d ask her about Sai. She`d grimace and made a gagging noise. "Why do you care?" She had asked one afternoon. "Oh, you know," I said sweetly, "He`s just always seemed so interesting…and I`d just like to know more about him." "…He`s not even your type, Ino." That annoyed me a little. "What is my type, then?" I challenged. She smirked. "You know, Ino. Smart, lazy boys." "Ugh!" I yelled. "For the millionth time, I do not like Shikamaru!!" She`d been teasing me about that for a lot of years, now. I hated it. We were good friends-and that`s all.
Eventually, after much more teasing and several catty remarks, I got more info about Sai. Over weeks, I learned that he was an artist. He was into books and read a lot. She also told me bad things about him, like how he seemed emotionless and didn`t really understand anyone. But that was fine whit me. He just needed somebody to feel emotions for. I decided that I wanted to be that person.
-Sai-
Every morning when I wake up I draw what I dream about. Not every morning, actually. I just started having dreams, actually. Ever since I met Naruto and Sakura, that is. They taught me a lot about people and feelings. Feelings…yes. A few months ago, I wouldn`t have known the meaning of the word. It`s amazing how much I`ve learned in such a small amount of time.
Last night`s dream was a bit strange. Or at least confusing. I dreamt of a beautiful, bright cosmos flower. It was the only thing in a quiet meadow and it blew softly in the wind. Then, I saw a beautiful woman with long, flowing blonde hair walking towards the flower. She picked it up and plucked off each individual petal softly chanting "He loves me, he loves me not." A small blush lighted up her cheeks as she said with a smile, one petal remaining, "He loves me."
Then I realized it-or at least I realized who the girl was:
"Ino Yamanaka."
As I said her name, I felt something inside. Some unknowing sensation rushed through my body as I felt my cheeks redden. Was I…blushing? And at the sound of her name, no less? What was this feeling? It was something I had never felt before or dealt with.
I brought my canvas and paints to my usual drawing spot, sat down, and started to draw.
-Ino-
Against my better judgment, I found myself wandering towards a quiet meadow. Why I was wanting to take part in this childish ritual, I didn`t know. I just had to see. See if it was really true.
I was from the Yamanaka clan-flowers had never lied to me, before. I had to find out whether this man was worth pursuing- I didn`t want to waste precious feelings on a person who would never love you back, like Sasuke.
I sighed as I picked up a cosmos-the only flower left in the lonely field- and started to pull of the petals, anticipatingly-though-timidly whispering "He loves me, he loves me not." I gasped and felt a blush creep to my face as the last petal stood on its stem, deemed 'He loves me'. Was it really true? Could it be? Suddenly, I heard a small, rustling noise. I turned around and saw somebody resting against a tree trunk, though I couldn`t see who it was. I walked up closer to the person, then gasped. "S-Sai?! What are you doing here?" Sai looked up from his drawing and smiled at me. For a moment, I thought I saw him blush-then it was gone. "Oh, hello, Ino. I always come here to draw." "Oh," I said, walking closer and peering over his shoulder. "Watcha drawin'?" "Oh, um…" I gasped once more. There, on the canvas, was this very meadow, with me standing in the center, holding a cosmos with only one tiny petal. In the right corner were the words "He loves me" written in pink, and directly under that were the words "I love her."
-Sai-
I studied Ino`s face. She started diligently at the picture for several seconds. I wondered if she misunderstood the meaning. "Ino," I started, "I-" "Don`t talk," she said, tilting my chin up, her lips softly touching mine. She smiled. "The picture speaks for itself." I smiled back at her. "That`s right," I murmured, "They say a picture`s worth a thousand words.
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A/N: Sorry if it was a little wierd or sappy at the end. I know its sort of irrational for that to happen, but I just wanted to write it, anyway. This is one of my favorite couples other than naruhina, and I wanted to make a story for it. Thank you for reading. Please review:)