Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to its creator. Be sure to check out the movie of My Rainy Days on Youtube, since there's no Fanficition folder for it here. This is a Sasuke/Ino version of it, though it won't be exactly like the movie, there will be other twists and turns coming.
My Rainy Days
Sasuke & Ino
1
When She Was 14…
She tapped her foot nervously on the polished tiles, pushing back her large, black rimmed square glasses with her thumb knuckle. She sniffed, putting her hands in her lap with a feigned air of patience, though the anxiety showed upon her forearms and wrists where fleshy red scratches blotched porcelain skin.
Tears swallowed her cerulean orbs—how could she tell her mother about what how she changed her mind? No, no, Rei Yamanaka would never accept that. This had to be done.
It had to…didn't it?
She snuck a look at her mother: the woman perfectly still with her back straight and legs crossed, reading a fashion magazine as if she were gazing at a menu at a fancy restaurant instead of waiting with everlasting patience in the hospital.
"What is it?" her mother asked, her rich sunglasses never leaving the direction of the magazine, but her eyes are on her daughter. Ino was itchy on the inside to stand up for herself and maybe even walk out while she still had the chance, but instead she fixed her eyes on a plush, plastic Santa figure next to a small Christmas tree. Her mother frowned, her slender fingers combing back Ino's long hair. "You look so bland, dear. You could've done more with your hair. Did you wear clean underwear? You'll have to strip down for this, you know that."
Ino's hair hadn't known a hot straightener yet as much as her mother tried to liven it up or make it perfectly straight. Ino personally liked her dark blonde waves that could be mistaken for a very light brunette in the summer, but her hair didn't matter. She swatted her mother's hand away.
"What is it?" Rei asked again, but more forcefully.
Ino worked her mouth to answer, but the nurse came up, handing her the paper work on a clip board with a nice pen attached to it by a chain. "Fill this out, hand it back to me, and we'll call you when it's ready."
Rei's smile was generous, her pristine teeth balanced with a soft pink lip stick. "Thank you, miss."
The nurse nodded, but didn't look at Ino. If she had, she might've known right away something was wrong. Ino's eyes were swollen red from crying and rough tissues. Her face was pale from nerves and she looked like a ghost of her usually happy, albeit very geeky, self.
Ino wore a giant sweater piled on with a jacket and a thick scarf as if her body was something worth hiding beneath layers of clothes in the heated hospitals. She had on worn, but snug boots and sweat pants. Her panda hat was slanted, but Ino didn't mind it, she didn't even notice. She just watched her mother whizz through the thin packet as if she were rushing through a grocery catalog, not the end of Ino's known life.
It made Ino's gut rot and her fists shake with anger. Her mother really didn't care; the woman was as cold as the belt of her large, expensive purse. The silver latch glinted back Ino's reflection, and she looked away, too embarrassed of what a weakling she was, too afraid to speak her mind.
It seemed like only seconds before Rei rose and her high heels went click-clack against the tiles, passing the injured and the sick with little consciousness of them and a look of superiority etched on her face. She slid the paperwork back to the nurse and urged her to call the doctor as soon as possible; she had another appointment to attend at 10:30am on the dot. What Rei didn't tell her it was a spa treatment that could make her troubles with Ino disappear with the magical hands of one of the Sun's Lake Spa workers.
When she sat down next to Ino, Ino moved away and started to pick at her nails.
"Stop that immediately," Rei snapped. "You want all the doctors laughing at you?" she groaned: "Goodness, I can hear them already. I can't believe I allowed you out of the house like this."
Ino whimpered back a sob, holding her stomach that was turning.
Rei softened a bit, and put her manicured hand on Ino's lap. "It'll be fine, I promise."
"I don't trust you," Ino mumbled, but her mother didn't hear her. After she said 'promise' she had gotten a call, and with no concern whatsoever for the patients, took the call right where she was.
It took a half hour for the doctor to show up, and that was the only thing that got Rei off the phone, though a woman who had a child with an ear ache asked her kindly to go somewhere else and her husband came back a few minutes later to ask more rudely.
Rei only talked louder.
Ino knew better than to ask her mother to do anything, she would've been slapped on the spot. She just lifted her feet onto the chair, knees to her chest and sunk into self-pity and hot embarrassment.
"Yamanaka-san?" the doctor called out.
Ino nearly fainted and jolted for the door at the same time. Rei clicked her touch phone off, and said with an undertone of happiness: "Come, Ino, let's go."
"I-I'm not go-going," Ino whispered and stayed put, even when Rei curled her fingers around Ino's arm and clutched her, pulling.
"Ino you will rise this very moment," she dug her nails in so deep, they nearly touched Ino skin beneath all that clothing. Her eyes were dead serious, "Don't you want what's best for you?"
Ino stood up at that, and Rei mistook it for compliancy and pulled Ino again who stayed planted to the floor.
"No, Mother, I mean it."
"Have you lost your mind?" Rei hissed, her hand up to slap her, but the doctor called again, this time sounding tired. "Let's go."
Rei's eyes dared Ino to disobey. Ino gave in, too scared of the future to argue as her mother moved them through the halls. Rei was pissed and as she practically dragged Ino down the hall. When Ino started to protest again, she whipped around and scratched her daughter's face.
"Shut up!" she yelled, "You ungrateful, foolish girl."
"I'll do whatever it takes!" Ino yelled back, surprising even Rei besides herself, at how desperate and loud she sounded. Her voice echoed. "I swear I can do it."
"Listen Ino," Rei came close and Ino was unflinching. "This is what's best for you. I know exactly what to do, and we're doing it, understand?"
"You're stealing me from myself!" Ino screamed, crying all over again.
Rei's glare could have pumped bullets if they were a gun; she went behind Ino and began to force her down the hall as Ino resisted, crying out for help. When Rei went in front of her, her eye brow arched, Ino went silent.
She could do no more than detach herself as Rei invaded her mind and made her psychologically submissive. Ino was too emotionally and skillfully weak to do more than walk herself down the hall.
Another patient's doctor office
The old man pointed to the array of brain scans illuminated by a light board. His dog-tired, droopy eyes were full with sincere sorrow. "Uchiha-san, it's…though we can remove the brain tumor as best we can…"
Sasuke's dark eyes lowered, feeling where this was going. His brain's invasion was back, and though it was an insignificant finding earlier, even with the medication and operations he knew, he just knew. His voice was strained and dragged his words, "How long?"
The doctor sighed, his heavy wrinkles pulling his mouth down in a severe frown, though the rest of him looked soft and kind, his voice sympathetic. "You have maybe months to live, but not a year."
Sasuke swallowed what felt like an entire bar of lead. "I understand."
"Do you have any loved ones I should contact?" the man winced.
"No," Sasuke said with grave solemnity, but a moment later he gave a short laugh. "At least there's no iffy 'we might be able beat this' talk, so I won't waste energy on fancy imaginings."
"That's one way to look at it, son," the man put his hand on Sasuke's shoulder, awed by Sasuke's cool, collected dignity. "I'm afraid, though, that the symptoms are rather—"
Sasuke held his hand up. "I can endure. All I need is medication. Too much information and anxiety might crowd my deteriorating brain, right?"
"Of course," the doctor agreed. Half of him wanted to stick his hand out and thank Sasuke for the extraordinary pleasure of knowing him, listing all he knew of Sasuke's prodigy achievements, while the other half knew better than talk of a past with no future. "Live life well, Sasuke, enjoy every moment."
"Don't I look like I already am?" Sasuke didn't even flick a smile.
"Of course," the doctor said with lack of more proper words. "Take things easy, okay?"
"I always do," Sasuke said, not knowing if that was a lie or not. Challenges came and lost easily to him, but his life never seemed easy. He rose, thanked the doctor, and left.
He hadn't taken one step out before nearly bumping into someone. He was considering of just continuing on his way, but bloody, soppy blue eyes caught him and it was if she looked like the pain and sadness he felt inside. His breathing halted and his heart slowed as time seemed to never have existed in their private world.
The girl didn't stop, she just went on, but she looked back at him until the corner covered her up.
Sasuke released his breath shuddering: "What was that all about?"
He glanced out of the giant window. "So I'm about to say goodbye to this sky soon?"
It was a question no one answered but his heart, not that he wanted to feel it rather than have it said aloud, it just felt ten times worse. To distract himself from his fate, he thought of the girl again, part of him feeling even more sorrow for her than himself.
He shook his head.
It was just a girl, you dobe, he thought to himself.
Part II: When She Was 17…
By the time Ino jolted awake, the bed was still fingers stretched out to touch her as she tried to be discreet in leaving, but with his brutishly muscular arm strapped over her chest, by the time she finally escaped his heavy grasp, he was awake.
"Haru?" his voice is groggy and vision bleary, but he knew what she was doing at the sound of her slipping on her sleek, black high heels that would soon drum against the porcelain tiles of his private condo away from him. He couldn't stand loneliness, even if it was the tip of dawn, "Stay."
"You know I never do," Ino almost didn't respond. Her eye brows were furrowed for a slight second before she remembered she lied about her name to all customers. This one was the most regular, but Ino could never remember his name. Not that she needed to, he barely spoke more than a few words, in and out of bed.
"I'll pay extra," he offered. He turned to face her, taking in her bare, shapely figure sitting on the edge of the bed, counting the thick cash, before reaching up fluidly to take out her hair tie. Silky, blonde tresses swooped over her back and shoulders, spilling over her breasts as she wrapped the money up. She could easily stretch 5,000 dollars, she already had "papa" to take care of her rent, and plenty of other bloody nosed perverts paying her grocery and shopping addiction. This was going straight to her savings.
Ino slipped on sleek, black shorts and belted them with a straw weaved belt. "As tempting as that sounds, I can't afford to possibly over sleep."
He sat up, running a hand through his dark orange hair. "Lock the door after you." It hurt him whenever he saw her walk out or even hear the door shut behind her, trapping him all alone. So, he walked naked to the bathroom.
Ino snapped her bra on and put on her long, striped T-shirt. She put on her sunhat and left for home. She yawned, but she was vigilant for any lurking creeps. The man inside the condo used to walk her home, but after she kept refusing to stay a bit longer, he wanted to seem like he didn't care about her past their nightly treats, so she walked home alone.
Which she didn't mind—as long as she kept her money close and her cell phone at arm's reach to be whipped out, and pepper spray in her pocket, she was fine with her thoughts keeping her company.
By nightfall, Ino traded her casual clothes for a slim, black dress and she curled her dark blonde tresses into a side pony tail flowing over her right breast. She sat at the dinner table, quietly sipping apple cider and peering out of the exquisite restaurant's outdoor area, looking from the inside out.
At first it was a simple interest that she focused on a couple clearly arguing. She crossed her legs elegantly, and pretended to look at the menu, but kept her eyes trained on the man gesturing in a pleading way for the woman to understand. She had her arms crossed and heat smothering her face, obviously flushed with a combination of flaming hatred and embarrassment. It didn't take long before the woman's drink soused the man's dress shirt and face.
"Whoa," Ino whispered.
The woman stormed out, her purse angrily swinging back and forth as she left the restaurant with everyone's eyes on her. By the time Ino looked back to the man, a well-dressed waiter was prepared with towels and bows helped the distraught man.
Ino couldn't help but give a small smile. Whatever he had done to so outrageously upset the woman, he most likely deserved. She chuckled gently into her cup, taking another sip.
"What's so funny?" 'Papa' asked, his peppered black and grey beard smiling with his lips and soft eyes as he came up from behind her, having returned from a short time to the restroom.
"Nothing," her smile was perfect.
In return he lowered to kiss the top of her jeweled, small hair band. "Are you ready?"
Ino rose up, taking his curved arm, "Yes."
At school—
Hinata hit the ground so hard, her glasses almost shattered in her eyes. With the smallest touch they would explode to pieces, but for now they were blindingly cracked. Her bottom lip had burst at the side, but before she could feel how bad it was, Karin kicked her stomach.
Hinata cried out, but was dead silent when Karin's foot rested on her chest. "It's a pity that you can't pay me back, Hinata. A true pity, considering how wealthy you are," her face was no laughing matter, though a twisted laugh crawled out and a confident smirk rested on her lips snugly.
Hinata shook with fear, terrified that she wouldn't be able to explain that asking her family for money would only invite trouble when she told them what it was for. She already borrowed from Neji twice to keep up with her payments, but her father refused to allow her to work, considering it lowly to be equal workers with the lesser social classes, so that left her in Karin's and Neji's debt with no way to pay them back.
"Huh?" Karin spat when Hinata's words bumped together, rushing past one another with anxious haste. "Speak!" the order was paired with a stomp of Karin's foot.
Hinata tried not to weep from the instant pain, but in the front of the class with twenty more other girls ignoring the bullying, and the teacher downstairs having a smoke, Hinata couldn't speak from all the directions of pain she felt: inside and out.
When Karin's foot rose again, Hinata blurted: "I-I'm broke!"
"What?" Karin threw a look to her small gang behind her. Another girl translated Hinata's sobbing garble. Rage flashed in Karin's eyes when she looked back at the whimpering girl on the floor. "How's that possible, worm? I've seen your fucking house, I'm not stupid. You must think I've lost my damn mind if you think I don't know how aristocratic you are." She stressed "aristocratic" with each syllable.
Hinata gasped when Karin snatched a handful of her hair and forced her to her feet. Hinata shook terribly, just short of having a seizure. Her knees locked and it seemed like if Karin was to attack, her body would be frozen. She couldn't even fathom running away. It wasn't like she'd get far, Hinata's always been clumsy.
Karin lifted Hinata's skirt and checked her clothes all over; swearing if she found a cent on her she was a goner. She forced Hinata to empty out her backpack, every spot of it.
"I-I r-really am bro-broke," she stuttered, not even making Karin's eye. She wanted to crawl to the corner, curl up, and cry silently. But it wasn't like home; she couldn't grip her pillow, biting into it whenever someone walked past her room. She was the entertainment of every vicious, passive eye. "I'm so-so sorry!"
"You really didn't bring money?" Karin asked. She and the other girls began circling poor Hinata. Karin whistled. "And yet you came to school to hash out feeble apologies?" she clicked her tongue.
"Idiot," one girl snorted.
"F-forgive me," Hinata bowed down on her hands and knees, "Please forgive m-me."
"Strip her," Karin spat.
Without hesitation, two girls grabbed Hinata. At first Hinata was trapped inside of shock, but then she began to resist, so much so that one of them pushed her down and climbed on top.
"To pay me back, we'll just post you on a pervert website," Karin took a cell phone from one of her girls, ignoring Hinata's pleads.
"Please don't to this Karin-chan," Hinata begged, kicking and thrashing, "Please!"
It seemed like the whole world was ignoring her, "Somebody help! Anyone, please, help me!" she sobbed. She looked around the room, "Please..."
"Quiet," Karin hissed, foot back, ready to strike again.
"I have n-nothing left, K-Karin!" Hinata exclaimed.
Karin crouched down to Hinata's level, her elbows resting on her knees. "A promise is a promise, Hinata."
"She's such a pain," one of them slammed her back down on the ground.
"One…two…three," Karin readied the phone.
Hinata's tears clouded her eyes, but she could hear the smile in her voice. She felt her skirt slip off and she began to scream, but one of them covered her mouth.
"Hold her still will you, she'll make all the images blurry," Karin said, with a half a mind to knock her out, but she wanted Hinata wide awake. The wicked grin on her face widened when one of them got Hinata's shirt halfway unbuttoned—
"That's enough," Ino said, catching Karin's immediate attention. Ino's arms were crossed and she got off the desk she sat on to stand up with Temari, Tenten, and Sakura behind her. "What is this, Karin?"
"It looks pretty cruel." Sakura said.
"Aw, Ino-chan," Karin smiled, as if they were only tickling Hinata, "I'm just having fun."
"Let her up you two," Ino had learned from her mother the kind of demanding, determined voice that made the girls scatter, "Now."
Ino rested her fingers on Hinata's bruised arm, "You alright?" Hinata struggled to sit up.
"We were just—"
"You're my friend, Karin," Ino said with flat lips that hinted nothing towards a frown or a smile, "but I don't like bullies."
"Yeah but—"
"I'll pay off her debt." Ino said. She slid arm underneath Hinata's to help her standing. "Leave her alone from now on, yeah?"
"Whatever you say, Ino," Karin said, combing her uneven blood red hair back with her fingers. She had a touch of nervousness to her face. "I didn't mean to upset you."
Ino led the Hinata back to her seat, sitting her down as Hinata's brain tried to catch up with what just happened. The most popular, beloved girl at Konohagakure Private Academy just-just helped her out, a terribly timid, unfashionable, shapeless Hinata Hyuuga. It made absolutely no sense.
"She looks like she's about to pass out, Ino," Sakura came up close, her bright emerald eyes searching all over Hinata, making a strong paint of red blush coat her cheeks. Sakura was even more beautiful up close, her skin milky smooth, and her blossom petal colored hair so pretty Hinata wanted to touch it.
What was she thinking? Hinata shook her head, "N-no, I'm fine."
"Good, because I'm about to make sure this never happens again," Ino's hand rose to rest on her hip. She turned to nod at Karin, and the red haired girl's gang left the room.
"Don't you look like you've had the roughest day," Tenten muttered sympathetically running slender fingers across Hinata's back. Hinata didn't know she was still crying until her cheek felt Tenten's sleeve. Tenten looked to Ino who looked as if she was considering, then nodded. "Hey, want to meet us for dinner?"
Snap.
Just like that Hinata's life changed forever with no way back.
"Uh-huh," Neji said, with a taste of disbelieve in his voice. He taught Ino Yamanaka for Home Room and knew exactly who the hotshot was. So at dinner when his younger cousin was spilling all that happened to her during lunch, he didn't believe a lick of it. "Right, did you finish the laundry like I asked you?"
Hinata was disappointed that Neji didn't show at least a bit of interest in her rare, new friendship. She, on the other hand, was so thirsty to get a piece of Ino that she had taken up their offer for dinner earlier that evening, but hadn't expected the fine restaurant.
A/N: So what did you think? Please comment and review.
