Disclamer: I do not own Naruto, although I wrote that poem all by myself in grade six. I deserve some props for that, don't I?

Summary: Shikamaru finds a piece of paper concerning Sakura in Ino's bag. So he decides to go out of his way for once, and just lend a helping hand. (Good grief... it sounds boring doesn't it? Anyways, it's no pairings. They are all just friends. Do I hear some groans? Well... rock on, friends.)

Legend:

"..." = talking

Italics = thinking, or reading to themselves.

Ino's Poem

"Oi! Ino! Can I get some pencils from your bag?" yelled Shikamaru.

"Yah, sure. It's at the bottom." she replied.

"Thanks..." Shikamaru mumbled as he dug into her backpack. How troublesome... why does she have such a messy bag? It is going to take me forever to find several pencils. Wait... what's this? He sat down to read the piece of paper he found.

I'm sorry, I really am.

I didn't mean it,

in the way you thought.

Is it too late?

To mend our broken friendship?

A real friendship isn't complete without conflicts,

Right?

But we have drifted so far apart

I have my own friends,

And you have yours,

We've changed so much.

We are no longer happy toddlers,

instead we're spiteful teens.

Hating each other way too often,

To be considered proper friends.

I have never completely forgotten

those recesses and lunches spent.

Giggling and laughing,

inventing our own language.

I'm sorry, I really am, Sakura;

Tell me it isn't too late,

to take back those hurtful comments,

and to just be friends again.

He looked up and sighed. Ino... why don't you just tell her? Makes it so much easier.

"Shikamaru, what is taking you so long?" she whipped around, and saw him holding her poem. She leaped at Shikamaru, and started to strangle him.

"No one is going to know of this, okay? If anyone does, I'll know it's you. And when that day comes, it'll be a very dark day indeed. Understood?" she growled.

"Yes ma'am." No ma'am.

--

Later that night, Sakura found a piece of paper on her doorstep.

..F.I.N..

A/N: Another short story... when I get the inspiration, I'll write a longer story... but for now, be happy with what you've got, sonny.