Hey, guys. I'm Takako's Revenge. You may remember me from such fics as 'Drink Up, Fess Up, Throw Up', 'The Sidekick' and 'Floodgates'. But probably not, because they're all in the Sailor Moon section XD.

So, all feedback appreciated. Though I'll warn you, I've leaked a trail of gunpowder from my review-receiving hand to the tops of your bonny little heads. So if you want to flame me, think carefully about what will happen.

SHOUJO-AI. Ino's POV.

What else? Oh yeah…

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If anything, Naruto owns me.

Mind Reader

I know what you'd say if I told you.

"How long?"

How long have I loved you? I can't pinpoint the exact time it dawned on me that I was gay; nor can I remember when I noticed that what I wanted from you was more than a confidante, a maid of honour, a loyal friend – that I actually wanted all the things the other girls wanted with boys one day.

No. I couldn't recount it exactly.

But still… no girl gives her favourite ribbon to just anyone.

"So…?"

So… yes… the day I met you. I could never bear to see a pretty girl cry. It's like letting a beautiful flower wilt, or… funnily enough, not seeing a bud bloom. To stand by and just watch something happen that's so sad, so unnecessary… what kind of a kunoichi would that make me?

I never wanted to see you cry again. Growing up around plants, I guess I figured that the best way to stop that was to… nurture you somehow. Make you confident, and happy. And I did, and for a while it was wonderful. I guess I might have made you too happy.

Because then… then you told me you liked Sasuke.

How could you not see the look on my face? I didn't try to hide it – I wanted desperately for you to see how much it hurt me. And I didn't tell you that because… I just wanted you to notice me on your own. If I spelt it out… how would I know for sure that you felt the same way? That it wasn't another of your infamous 'Me too!' moments, where you just go along with everything I say?

I think that's why I said it. That I liked Sasuke. I was mad at you. Back then, I didn't understand that I had a crush on you, so when you told me you liked him, all I saw was that you didn't care about me as much as I cared about you.

It was a hatred that carried through my childhood; even after I discovered how much I liked you and, simultaneously, how no boy would ever compare. By then, the sweet idiosyncrasies I had forced myself to be irritated by, were so ingrained in me, it was hard to stop hating you.

Besides, it had been six long years since my apparent rivalry and cold distance had forced us apart. If I admitted the error of my ways, admitted that my reasons for ending our friendship were stupid and misguided, it would mean that I had lost you for nothing. More importantly, I wouldn't be able to kid myself into thinking that the heat I felt around you was just annoyance; it would bring to the surface all the feelings I wasn't supposed to have. And I don't think I could have stood knowing that when I had pushed you so far away.

You only made it harder when you gave my ribbon back. Other than Sasuke, that ribbon was the only thin thread connecting me to you. When you returned it to me, it was a kick in the teeth. On top of that, you had wound up in Team 7 with your precious, uncaring Uchiha man.

You knew I was jealous – hell, you relished in it. But what would you have done, if you knew who I was really jealous of?

You were such a glutton for punishment with him. He wasn't the only one to tell you that you were annoying! So did I! What makes him so much better than me? Why is it that the one person who lashes out at you just because they love you too damn much, is the one you're not drawn back to?

By that point, I was ready to give up on you; to push my emotions to the back of my mind and focus on training and leading others… others who weren't you. You didn't want to lose to me anymore, you said.

I'm sorry you felt that way. If I'd had any idea that trying to make you feel good would make me look even better, I would have… I guess maybe I would have fought you a little earlier. Back in the days when my anger masked everything, and I really wouldn't have held back. Maybe a good spar against you would have helped get the resentment out of my system. Any excuse to get hot and sweaty with my Sakura-chan, ne? Even if it's not for the reasons I would like. ;)

Still, it's better between us now. You'll wave to me in the street again. Sometimes we'll even hang out. I kept my hair short, like you – my way of saying I've changed, I guess. Changed back to that little girl who wanted to make you happy.

It's hard to get close. There are too many things we can't talk about; and besides, it's hard to talk to you properly when you're taking my breath away.

Sometimes I blush a little when you catch me off guard, or I jump from the static when the backs of our hands brush. Sometimes I watch your full lips move and wonder what it would be like to kiss you. Sometimes I lie there beside you at our sleepovers, and run over a million scenarios where I tell you…

Where I tell you that I love you more than anyone in the world.

But you don't notice any of that.

You don't know what I'm thinking.

And knowing that… is both my greatest blessing and my deepest regret.

How can someone so smart… be so hard-headed?

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I have no idea how I expected that to go. But I didn't expect it to go like that.

Hmm…

Anyway, hope you liked it. XD

Sayonara!