She looked the same. If you peered into the kitchen window, you wouldn't even know the difference. You'd see the same platinum blond hair cascading down her back. Her body was still thin, yet curvy, and tight in all the right places. She still enveloped herself in purple and she was still beautiful.

"So, what's wrong with me?" Ino hissed as she tied the apron around her waist and began scrubbing the dishes.

She didn't smile anymore. Her bright blue eyes that had once seemed like a raging river of excitement had faded into a dull trickle. A murky puddle. What had happened? Why had she let herself become this? She glared at the tiny crumbs on the plates before her. She scrubbed and scraped until each one shone brightly in the sunlight that was pouring in through the window.

Shikamaru. Her mind wandered and she thought of her husband, Shikamaru, who had been on a mission in Sunagakure. He had probably returned to the village by now. She felt the usual reflex-a tug at her heart-that told her she missed her teammate. But it didn't tell her, she noted, that she missed her husband. It was funny, that fine line between teammate, friend, and significant other. Sure, a few years back, she had considered dating Shikamaru, but that had been back when she had wanted to date a bunch of guys to get a feel for what kind of a man she wanted to be with. Hell, she had even considered Choji at one point, but never had she taken it seriously.

It was only until after the war and the death of Ino's father that Ino's mother had a major meltdown. She begged Ino to relinquish her position as a kunoichi of Konoha and to marry Shikamaru for protection. Of course, Ino was furious at the idea, repulsed by her mother's request. However, she did not want to disobey her grieving mother and besides, how terrible could it be to marry your teammate? Ino had known Shikamaru for years. Marriage couldn't be much different from lifelong friendship, could it? A few months passed and, with the approval of Shikamaru and his mother, Ino was wed. It was then that her life as a housewife commenced.

The first week of marriage was awkward and uncomfortable. Ino was a virgin, Shikamaru was not, and it was strange for both of them to see their childhood friend naked. During their first year of marriage, they'd only had sex a handful of times and they usually kept the TV on and the lights off. Never had they looked each other in the eyes. Ino prayed to Kami that tonight would not be another one of those nights.

Just as she finished drying the final bowl in the sink, she heard the opening of the front door and the gentle steps of her husband's sandals. The stench of a cigarette wafted into the room. Ino turned to face the man before her. He was tall, his ponytail adding about 5 inches to his height. He slouched his shoulders lazily and his face was unimpressed, as always.

"Hello, Shikamaru! I wasn't expecting you home so soon!" He's late. Again.

"Well I wanted to hurry back to you." His voice oozed with boredom. For some reason, she didn't quite believe him.

She cleared the space between them in a few quick steps and embraced him with all of the joy she could muster. He smelled like cologne and cigarettes. She couldn't believe how much she'd missed that smell. He didn't wrap his arms around her, he simply shrugged her off of him and walked over to the window, staring out at the clouds.

It was obvious that neither of them were very happy with their arranged marriage, but to Ino, it seemed as though Shikamaru had once loved her as a teammate and close friend, but had grown to resent her for being his wife. He hardly ever even looked at her anymore.

"I made some dinner," Ino shook off the sadness and gave him a weak smile. Why couldn't they work together to make the best of things?

"I already ate."

She frowned. He was acting especially cold towards her today. A nagging feeling in her gut told her it had something to do with a certain blond, Suna kunoichi named Temari. It had been apparent when Shikamaru had first battled Temari during the chunin exams that there had been some definite chemistry between them. Now that the two were working together, they would have more time to grow closer and perhaps act on those feelings.

Ino shook her head. Shikamaru wouldn't do that, would he? Even if they were both miserable, he wouldn't hurt her like that, right? "That's fine. Maybe we could-"

"I just want to sleep. It's been a long trip."

Ino felt tears prick at her eyes, but she nodded her head and smiled. "Right. I'm sorry. Here I am worrying about spending time with you and I haven't even given you a chance to rest."

He put out his cigarette in one of the bowls Ino had just cleaned and stalked off to their bedroom, closing the door behind him. Ino clenched her fists, trying to control the rage that was building in her chest. She finally allowed tears of hate to trickle down her face as she washed out the bowl once more and dried it.

I love my husband, she thought to herself, repeating her own personal mantra. I love my husband. I love my life.

Later in the evening, Ino went to the market in search of groceries. She strolled down the street, buying from various vendors as she went. Looking up at the sky, she noticed all of the fluffy clouds passing over her and felt that familiar tug in her chest. She dropped her head and frowned. I love my life.

"Ino?"

The blonde glanced up in surprise at the sound of her name being called. A grin crept across her face and she dropped her basket full of goods as she sprinted towards the figure and leapt into his arms. "Choji! I've missed you so much!"

Choji chuckled and squeezed her waist. "Hey, Ino. How have you been?"

Terrible. Lonely. I've made a horrible mistake. "Things have been great. Shikamaru just got back from Suna."

Choji's face grew dark for a moment, but it happened so fast, Ino couldn't be sure whether it had actually happened or if she had imagined it. "Suna, huh? Well, we should all try to get together. We haven't hung out in a while."

Ino beamed. She missed Choji so much, and she'd do anything to get out of that damn house. "Sounds great!"

"I'm actually having a party on Friday. It's kind of like a reunion. Everybody's going to go. You guys should make an appearance."

"That sounds lovely!" Lovely? I'm starting to sound like a housewife, that's for sure.

"Great! You remember where my apartment is, right?" he asked.

"Of course, as long as you haven't moved."

"Sweet. Then I'll see you there!"

Ino gave him one last hug, pulling him in tighter than normal, not wanting him to leave. Eventually, he began to stir, and she reluctantly released him. "Bye, Choji."

Once his retreating figure had disappeared, despite being surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the market, Ino couldn't help but feel lonely.

Maybe that's what we need, she thought as she returned to her shopping basket and retrieved it. A night out with all three of us together again, it'll be just like old times.

She clung to that hope, determined to believe it despite the sinking feeling of doubt that kept clawing at the back of her mind.