Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Parirings: ShikaXIno
A/N: Little bit I though of when Asuma passed. I thought it was sad.
Embers of the flame kissed the tip of his cigarette. Eyes glistening, an inferno spreading in the back of his mind as smoke drifted out of his mouth. Nothing but the crickets dared to sound at the late hour. Tears fell down to the sand below his feet where once, he had been smiling. Smoke irritated the eye, but moreover, emotions that only the cigarette in his mouth could comprehend leaked out.
Her golden tresses once sweetly smelling of vanilla and lilies now held bitterness to match her soul. Skin reeked of the one she once complained about, the aroma was now her own. Her head leaned upon the edge of the bench, cheeks still lined with moist liquid. Glossy, pink lipstick smeared across the sleeve of her white, collared shirt.
Summer's moon shone down upon her angelic face, framing it with sparkling light. Its rays cast a gleam off of the moss green colored liquor bottle, smashed, glass scattered across the sidewalk. Shadows were cast by beautiful cherry blossom trees that abandoned their magnificent, pink flowers. The blossoms created a makeshift blanket for the girl as she exhaled letting out the spite bit by bit.
He remembered her voice, yelling at him, begging him. The memories jerked his heart as if it were an anchor sinking into the freezing ocean. The boy puffed the cigarette, careful to keep the smoke away from her face. Only now did it appear safe to let down his façade. He softened his expression, removing the soldier's mask, the armor he wore.
"Please Shika-kun," her voice pleaded as cerulean eyes became moist with tears, "I can help. Please just stop."
"I can't stop. Asuma couldn't stop," Shikamaru snapped, voice harsh as an explosion, "You know how the story ends!" Drunkenly gripping her wrist, he stared into her eyes with his own coffee colored orbs. The windows of his soul seemed to be filled with some sort of gas, creating a haze, a veil.
Ino shook her head from side to side, golden locks splaying out as she wept, "No, Shika! We're all upset, it's not just you!" Her pale hand slapped the bottle of alcohol from his hand, causing the liquid to run down the street.
"Why don't you leave? I'm trapped in this shadow, so you can just leave!" Shikamaru yelled into the face of the only person who didn't depart.
Dragging her feet along the concrete, she peeked down and then back up at the beautiful, flame pigmented sunset. It triggered memories of the cigarette lighters her boyfriend kept in his pocket all day and night. "I," The blonde began only to be interrupted.
"Leave, just leave me alone!" Shikamaru shouted, sitting on the bench, turning his head away. Soothing wind streamed through his hair. She just closed her eyes, taking pleasure from the calming embrace of the breeze. Almost believing that the zephyr would sweep her off her feet, the silence set in, blanketing the two like a shroud of peace.
"That's how their story ended isn't it, Kurenai, Asuma?" Ino inquired still frozen in place. Sitting down on the bench, careful not to ignite the flames of anger again, she placed her hand on his shoulder. "You just want me to leave, don't you Shika-kun," she giggled airily, "There's not a chance, and I'd rather die from the smoke. Hand me a cigarette." Reaching out her hand, she smiled a melancholy smile.
Shikamaru only withdrew the death wish from his front pocket and waved it before her. Smearing her lipstick on her sleeve carelessly, acting out of character, she lit the cigarette with her boyfriend's lighter. As she tried not to cough, she choked back curses. Tears streamed down her cheeks, creating a shimmering river of materialized grief.
The shinobi felt guilt and pain. He didn't want her to suffer. It was hard to watch the kindhearted Ino choke on a poisonous, toxin. "Is that how you feel?" Shikamaru muttered. Stars appeared in the sky, making their presence known to the couple under the heavens. They illuminated the pathway through the night's cloak of mysterious shadows, creating a serene effect.
"It hurts babe, but I am willing to feel what you feel. Be willing to feel what I feel," she wheezed, spitting out her words. Slowly, the cigarette was reduced to nothing more than a lowly stub. Her strength had all drained as the heat died. Dropping the remains onto the floor, Ino lay her head down on her arm. "I won't leave if you won't babe, I promise," the young woman whispered.
"Shika," a quiet voice called to him awaking him from his reverie, "Give me a smoke." Pushing her body off the bench, supporting herself with her elbow, she grabbed the lighter and snuck into her boyfriend's pocket. Ino lit the cigarette as Shikamaru inhaled the scent of smoke, flowers, and alcohol. A cloud of smoke emerged as he exhaled slowly.
Without warning, he stood up from his seat on the ground. Removing the cigarette from his mouth, he reached over for his partner's. Throwing them both to the ground, he crushed the ends of his escape, his sanctuary. "If you don't hurt, I'll try not to," he mumbled, wind carrying his words to her ear.
Dumbfounded, the kunoichi smiled, brushing the petals from her hair. "Bury what's left off your grief and morning will come. Kurenai-sensei was a splendid poet. It's as if she knew," the crystal eyed beauty chimed. Morning rays drenched the two in a strange sort of loving comfort. Their hands intertwined, no smoke blinding their love for one another. Nothing but the waters that drenched the fire, uniting them in the ocean, where all rivers must meet, where all rivers end.
Thank you for reading! Yuki-chan over and out.