A/N: Well, this is my first attempt at a ShikaIno fic, and my first het fic in a long time. I'm usually a yaoi (specifically KakaIru) writer, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to expand my horizons every once in a while.
With that said, then, I guess it's only fair to warn you that this story centers around angst and character death. It may take some reading between the lines to figure out what's happening, but that's half the fun of reading this, right?
The members of Team Ten are all adults in this story.
As usual, reviews are appreciated and flames are ignored.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. -MeeLee
Winter Sky
It is almost midnight, and Yamanaka Ino is watching the clouds.
Konoha winters are freezing, and the wind chills her to the bone. She doesn't feel it though. She doesn't feel anything anymore.
She supposes she should've seen it coming. After all, falling in love with a ninja—and a jounin, no less—was always a dangerous thing. But at the time, she and Shikamaru hadn't cared. It had been just them, and the rest of the world didn't matter. They made it disappear for each other.
She's glad it was Chouji who came to break the news to her. Had it been anyone else, she would have had to pretend that she was strong, that it was just one more death. But with Chouji, she could break. And so she did, sobbing into his shoulder as he held her quietly in the doorway.
Three days have passed since then. Or is it four? She doesn't know, and doesn't care. Time doesn't matter now. Without Shikamaru, nothing matters anymore.
The clouds are beautiful, she thinks, lying on the roof of the apartment she and Shikamaru shared, looking up at the sky. They're thick now, and low, heavy with coming rain. She wonders if Shikamaru watched them even in the rain; she decides that he did, and so she will too.
She asked him a long time ago why he loved watching the clouds so much. He told her that the rest of the world was too troublesome, and at the time, she didn't understand. She doesn't understand now either, but she's trying. She's lain on her roof, staring up at the clouds, trying for the past three…four days. And she knows it's just out of her reach, waiting for her. Just a little bit more…
"Ino."
She knows the voice, but doesn't respond. The clouds are beautiful.
A shadow falls over her suddenly. "Ino, please come inside," Chouji says. His voice is edged with worry. Ino doesn't know why.
"You're blocking the sky," she tells him.
"Come inside," Chouji repeats.
She frowns. "But you can't see the clouds from inside."
Her friend sighs. "You have to eat something, Ino," he says. "And you need to get some sleep."
It's not so bad, she thinks. But Chouji is worried, and though she doesn't know why, she doesn't want him to worry. So she gets up, and finds that it's a bit hard to move. Chouji helps her into her apartment.
It's warm. And bright. And empty without Shikamaru. Ino wants to cry.
"Here," Chouji says as he seats her down at the kitchen table and hands her a steaming mug. "Herbal tea. Please drink some."
"I'm not thirsty."
"Ino—"
"I'm not." She looks up, and tries to smile. "Don't worry, Chouji. Everything's okay. You don't have to look so scared. Please, go home."
Chouji grits his teeth. "How can I go home when you're like this?"
Ino blinks. First he's worried, and now he's angry. What's wrong with him?
"You're killing yourself, Ino!" Chouji cries. "You don't eat, you don't sleep, you've done nothing ever since…since Shikamaru…"
Ino winces. "Please don't say his name," she whispers.
Chouji sighs, the anger leaving him like air out of a balloon. "Ino, please…"
"It hurts," Ino says. And it does. Her heart is clenching, and her skin crawls. She wants it to stop.
She wants Shikamaru back.
"Ino…" Chouji looks like he's about to cry. Does he grieve for Shikamaru too? "Ino, you can't keep going like this."
"It's okay," she says, rising slowly and turning toward the door. She doesn't understand why it's so hard to move. "I need to go back outside. Please go home, Chouji. You need to rest."
"Don't go back out there, Ino. Please."
"Just a little bit more," she answers as she steps back out into the freezing cold.
"This isn't what he would've wanted," Chouji whispers. Ino wonders what he is talking about as she climbs back up onto the roof and lies down, staring up at the sky. She watches the clouds pass for a few moments before hearing the sound of her front door opening and closing. Footsteps, then a pause, and she knows Chouji is looking up at her.
"Go home and rest, Chouji," she calls down to him.
He is quiet for a moment. Then: "Goodbye, Ino." And he is gone.
Ino turns back to the sky. The clouds are beautiful; she can almost see the moon. The wind blows, the air chills, but she cannot feel it. Just a little bit more.
The clouds darken, and she smiles. After all, she thinks, Shikamaru was right. The rest of the world really is too troublesome.
FINI