Title: SpecialPlace
By: Goth-Punk88
Series: Naruto.
Pairing: SasuIno.
Genre: Drama – Romance.
A/N's: After a long time without posting anything, I found this in my computer and decided it wouldn't hurt to finish it. So here it is. My beta is still on a trip though, so this isn't beta-read; please forgive me for any mistakes you might find. If you can please point them out in a review, I'll gladly fix them.
I hope you'll like this oneshot, and once again sorry for not posting anything in such a long while. I should be updating Love Series sometime tomorrow, and Dancing Partner when my beta sends me back the chapter, because I already wrote it and send it to her.
As always, reviews are highly appreciated. But no flames.
Summary: They had their special place. And it's there where she finally says goodbye. [SasuIno
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SpecialPlace
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She didn't expect to find him there, out of all places.
It was her special place after all, the place were she always went in solitude to relax and think about some things—about him, usually—the place were she felt comfortable enough to let her facade fall and merely be herself, feeling happy and somehow whole—though not quite so—with just watching the flowers fly by.
So when she eagerly left everything she was supposed to be doing only to go and let herself escape from the loudness and craziness from the streets, and arrived there only to find him there, one leg cleanly folded upwards towards his chest, one delicate hand laying lazily atop of his knee while the other was placed on the ground, his raven hair being softly brushed by the wind; she really couldn't help her heartbeat from accelerating.
Neither could she stop herself from taking deep intake of breaths as she slowly made her way towards him, and she didn't even try to stop herself when her eyes stayed glued to his handsome form for a couple of seconds longer than what was truly necessary.
But she did put extra effort on making her voice sound clean and confident, like it always did.
"Hello there, Sasuke-kun"
She says, cheerfully, leaning her body towards one side in order to place her face into his visual field, her grin shinning brightly, her long ponytail falling cleanly at her side.
He doesn't seem surprised at her sudden closeness and invasion of personal space, and merely gives her one bored, expressionless look, before focusing his obsidian eyes once again into the horizon.
"Hn"
She didn't expect an answer, but she thinks that it wouldn't have hurt if he had given her one. Still, she keeps on grinning, and asks, pointing one slim finger to the ground at his right side,
"Is that seat taken?"
"What does it look like?" He answers immediately, with disdain, and Ino giggles softly against her palm.
"I guess no. Do you mind if I take it, then?"
"Even if I do, you're going to take it anyway"
He was right, of course, but she wasn't going to admit that. Instead she merely seats herself besides him, happily noticing the fact that even though he didn't seem particularly overjoyed at the prospect of spending time with her, he didn't seem particularly dismayed about the subject, either.
"Probably"
She says simply, while she adjusts herself into a comfortable position in the grass, her body almost automatically relaxing at feeling the cool and soft grass against her bare skin.
She loved that place, it was her little piece of heaven on that hell that shinobi insisted on calling earth; there was no other place where she would feel more comfortable that in there.
And maybe that was the reason of why she felt so relaxed, even in his presence.
"I didn't know you liked this place, Sasuke-kun"
She comments lightly after some moments, coming out of her thoughts and deciding that the silence had prolonged for far too long.
She already knew that Sasuke was not one of the conversational-type; it was just a plus that she was just the opposite to that.
"..Neither did I" He murmurs after some moments, his eyes never leaving the horizon, his expression never changing; and she allows herself to take a second or two to admire just how breathtakingly beautiful that boy was, how utterly perfect every single inch of his structure seemed to be, how composed and aloof he managed to be.
She tries to make those seconds of admiration as unnoticeable as possible, and she thinks she succeeds, but that's when he speaks.
"What are you staring at?"
His question takes her by surprise, and she blinks, her mouth opening and closing in search of answers that could possibly help her to explain herself without looking like a complete and absolute fool, but it seemed as if her brain had just collapsed on her.
At the end, she managed to smile sheepishly.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to distress you" She says, a little blush making it's way over her cheeks.
"You didn't" He doesn't even blink, doesn't even turn towards her as he answers, "I'm already used to the stares"
Something on his answer sounded awfully conceited, and she would have made fun of it if it hadn't been him with whom she was talking with; instead, she couldn't help but agree with him.
"I guess you must be; after all, with so many fangirls stalking you, you probably don't have a rest" She jokes, giving him a grin, and this time, he shrugs.
He doesn't say anything else.
Ino sighs inwardly, while turning forward, her eyes lingering on the horizon for a moment before lowering to the ground, her hands carefully playing with one soft flower before quietly folding on her skirt.
"I always come here" she says, suddenly, and she can feel him looking at her slightly from the corner of his eyes, "I don't know why, but this place always makes me feel at ease. It's kinda far from the main streets and training grounds, and not many people know about it, so there's never someone in here when I come… I actually quite like it that way" a soft smile makes it's way across her lips as she speaks, but the smile disappears when he speaks again.
"So you want me to leave?" He's not fully turned towards her, his eyes boring onto her surprised blue-ones, his expression as aloof as it always was, and she hurries herself to shake her head, one invisible hand mentally smacking her forehead for her stupidity.
"No! I didn't mean it like that! Really!" She sounds flustered, she knows, but she doesn't really care, "I just meant that the quietness of the place allows me to think, and that I like that this place is unknown to almost everyone, but I don't want you to leave!"
Sasuke stares at her for a moment longer, before turning to the horizon once again, "…Hn" was all he said, and Ino sighed with relief.
"… I didn't know you liked quietness, Yamanaka"
His words are unexpected, and they surprise her, making her raise her head and give him a somewhat funny look, before finally answering, "..Yeah, well, there are lots of things you don't know about me, Sasuke-kun"
If she thought carefully about it, maybe her comment had been way too direct; and if she realized that, maybe she would have blushed and quickly murmured something else to explain herself a little better.
But as things were, she was way too focused on him at the moment, and that didn't allow her to focus on anything else, and somehow her words right then made perfect sense making her feel oddly proud of herself.
So she turns, a soft smirk curving her lips, and she feels him turning to look towards her, her heart doing flip-flops inside her chest as she felt his eyes focused on her face.
But then he stands up, and her heart freezes.
"Where are you going?" She asks without thinking, her head turning roughly to stare at the boy, while he cleaned off his white pants and started walking.
He doesn't answer, and merely goes on walking, and Ino doesn't take her eyes off him until his back is completely out of sight, and it's there when she sighs.
Maybe her comment had been too direct, after all.
She curses herself inwardly.
She thought things over, and came to a very simple conclusion.
She had screwed up, big time.
She had screwed up every single chance she had with Sasuke—if she had any, that is—and there was no way of turning back time and fixing the damage anymore.
She would just have to get accustomed it, she had sorrowfully concluded.
So when she arrives to the field and finds him in the exact same position he had been in the last day, she's completely taken aback.
"Sasuke-kun" She says, not being able of stopping herself, her blue orbs widened and her mouth slightly agape.
And just like the day after, Sasuke doesn't even change his position at the sudden intrusion of his peace, "Hn"
She notices, absentmindedly, that it was the exact same answer that he had given her just the day before, and she's overwhelmed by a sense of déjà vu; but that breaks completely in a thousand pieces when he speaks again.
"Are you going to stand there all day?"
His words are quiet, and sarcastic, but they're more than enough to break Ino off of her little reverie and make her come back to the real world, finally realizing that, indeed, she had stayed rotten to her spot, her eyes boring into the back of Sasuke's skull.
This time, she does slap herself softly, cursing inwardly the fact that she was acting like Hinata, instead of behaving like herself; and after making sure that her brain was functioning correctly, and that it wouldn't collapse at any sudden movement of the boy, she started walking.
"Heh, Sorry. I guess I got lost in my own thoughts" It's the lame excuse she gives him, as she takes the seat besides him, carefully trying not to make any physical contact whatsoever with him.
"…Hn"
A sigh makes it's way to her lips, but she holds it inside. She doesn't want him to think that she's bored, or bothered by him, even thought deep down she kinda is. Not bored, no, never. But instead slightly bothered; she wondered how in the world Naruto and Sakura managed to make him talk to them, to be relaxed around them. She wondered, but she never could find a proper answer to those questions; And more often than not, she found herself feeling slightly envious of her pink-haired friend, something that made her feel kinda sick with herself.
"…You're way too oblivious, Yamanaka. You're going to get into trouble if you go on being that way"
Her head turns sharply towards him, her mouth opening and uttering words even before she could fully react and understand what he had just said; "That may be so; But I know how to take care of myself, I'm not that oblivious, ya know?"
A smirk makes it's way to his lips, something akin to a slight chuckle sounds in his throat, and Ino feels her heart-beat quickening at the mere hint of emotion and amusement in the boy; "Still; a shinobi can't be oblivious; he has to be sharp, in order to be alert of his surroundings. The ones that aren't like that only manage to get killed in the end"
She raises one slim eyebrow at his conceited tone, and she finds that a smirk possesses her lips as well, "Well, you haven't seen me in any mission yet, Sasuke-kun" Sasuke raises one eyebrow amusedly at the sarcastic tone used by the blonde, but she merely increases her smirk, "So you don't know just how good I'm in them; you shouldn't worry about my safety, I can take good care of myself"
Deep down, she feels proud of herself at her confident and sarcastic words, feeling as if a part of her had finally emerged to the surface; and that proud-ness only increases when she notices the barest hints of amusement shining in the boy's black orbs, the corner of his lips curving slightly upwards, managing to get her breath to hitch at her throat.
"You seem awfully full of yourself, Yamanaka"
She smirks, clearly noticing the challenge behind his words, "Only because I'm saying the truth, Uchiha"
This time, a low and short chuckle does leave his lips, and Ino grins with delight, feeling oddly light-headed at the mere sound of his laugh; but the enchant is broken as he slowly stands up from his seat, the feeling of déjà vu coming back and hitting her full force.
"Where are you going?" She asks again, just like yesterday; but this time, he does give her an answer.
"I've got some things to do" He says, as he once again cleans the dust off his white pants, his eyes closed, the barest remains of his smirk still curving his lips.
Ino nods, blue-orbs still focused intently on him; and then, as she sees him turn around and starting to walk, she dares to ask,
"Will you come tomorrow?"
He halts, for an instant, but then he starts walking again, and a sad look starts to posses Ino's gorgeous features as she sees him disappear in the distance.
Slowly, she sighs.
She had thought that things had gone pretty smoothly, but she guesses that nothing could be really easy when Sasuke was involved.
The sound of his amused chuckle resounds into her mind, and she smiles, softly.
Still, it was always worth the effort, wasn't it?
She already knew the answer to that question, so she didn't bother thinking of it; instead slowly getting up from her spot at the ground, one hand traveling to her skirt and cleaning the dead leafs that remained attached to it.
Yesterday, she had thought that she had fucked everything up with her comment, but he had showed up anyway. Today, though, things had gone better, but still, he had refused to answer if he would come again…
Still..
She guessed she would have to come and find it for herself, wouldn't she?
She isn't exactly surprised, but feels pleased nonetheless as she sees him seated on his spot, and she doesn't stop to admire him this time, going directly towards him instead.
She meets him cheerfully, and he takes a brief look at her, before centering his eyes on the horizon once again.
That day, she did most of the talk, trying her best to talk about things that she knew he would have at least a slight interest in, which meant the Shinobi life.
He just chipped in, from time to time, to make a comment or snort at something she had said; but still he remained quiet most of the afternoon, but Ino couldn't find it in herself to feel disappointed by it.
Once again, he got up at the same time that he had the previous days, but Ino already expected it so she wasn't surprised, and was already prepared to ask him the same question she had asked him since the first day, even thought she was sure she already had the answer.
"Are you coming back tomorrow?"
This time, the answer reaches her in the form of a soft murmur, as he's almost out of view.
"You should already know by now"
"How was your day?" She tries asking, having thought about possible ways of coercing him into conversation the previous night.
"…Boring" He murmurs, and Ino giggles softly.
"…Yours?"
And as she answer his question, with a significantly longer and more detailed answer, she absentmindedly thinks, that they were definitely improving.
"Do you want some?"
He lowers his head, his obsidian eyes landing onto the plate of small tomatoes that Ino was holding out to him.
Briefly, he wonders how did she find out that they we're his favorites, but he decides not to ask.
"No.. I'm not hungry"
"Are you sure? These are delicious! They're my favorites!" Ino exclaims, grinning brightly, and delicately grabbing one tomato and placing it on her mouth, her expression instantly turning into one of pure ecstasy at tasting them.
He raises one eyebrow at her, slightly taking aback.
He didn't know they were her favorites; and probably, she didn't know that they were his favorites, either.
Something inside of him feels oddly pleased at the thought, but he brushes it aside.
Ino's blue eyes open with slight surprise when she feels him reaching out towards her, and grabbing one tomato from the plate on her lap, her eyes following the movement until they focused on his face. But Sasuke merely turned around slightly, the angle he positioned himself in successfully hiding the soft pink-blush that he knew was painting his otherwise pale-cheeks.
"…I guess I'm somewhat hungry, after all"
"What do you think?"
"…About what?"
Ino rolls her eyes, but smiles all the same. "About what I just told you, dummy. Honestly, were you even paying attention?"
He arches one eyebrow at the friendly insult, but chooses to say nothing about it. "You were talking about your last mission, weren't you?"
"Yup, so what do you think?"
He's the one who rolls his eyes now; "What do you want me to say?"
"Well, a 'Well done, Ino! You surely kicked some asses!' Or a 'Damn Yamanaka, your better than I thought!' wouldn't be bad, ya know?" She stares at him amusedly, and he answers her joke with a smirk.
"Heh, whatever"
"Sasuke-kun!"
The raven-haired boy doesn't even have the enough time to turn around, when a blonde has attached herself to his arm, a bright grin etched on her pretty features.
"How are you today, Sasuke-kun?"
She asks brightly, and he scoffs derisively, before turning his face away from the blonde's grinning one.
"Oi! Ino-pig! What do you think you're doing hugging Sasuke-kun?!"
The infuriated question reaches Sasuke's ears, and he cringes inwardly; Ino merely sticks out her tongue at her rival.
"What does it look I'm doing, forehead? Enjoying myself of course!"
He doesn't even try to open his eyes, there wasn't anything pleasing in the murderous face his team-mate was possibly making.
"Ne, Sakura-chan, why don't you--?"
"Urusai, Naruto!"
"Ma Ino.. this is so troublesome. Let's go already, they're waiting for us"
The blonde reacts immediately to the bored voice that calls her, and slowly unlinks their arms, detaching herself from his body.
"Hai, Hai!" She grins, and turns towards him once again, completely ignoring Sakura. "See you later, Sasuke-kun!"
"…Hn"
And with that she's gone, leaving him alone with his idiotic Teammates who would probably annoy him about the incident for what was left of the day.
"Sasuke-kun, what did Ino-pig mean by 'See you later'? You aren't going to meet with her anyway, are you Sasuke-kun?"
Ignoring the pathetic angst present in her voice, Sasuke starts walking once again, face perfectly devoid of any emotion whatsoever.
No one knew about his meetings with Ino, and he surely wasn't planning on changing that.
One day, three months after the first time she encountered him on that special place, she dares to voice out-loud the question that has been plaguing her mind since the very first day.
"…Sasuke-kun?"
"..Hn?"
She frowns softly, wondering if she wasn't being a little too noisy, but pushed those thoughts aside and took in a deep intake of breath. Her curiosity was killing her, and she was positive she wouldn't get an answer anyway, so it didn't hurt to give it a shot.
"Where do you go after you leave here? I mean.. you leave at the same hour everyday, and I don't know.. I mean.." She trailed out after that, deciding that she had already made her point clear enough and that more explanations would only made her look like a fool.
From the corner of her eye, she observes his reaction intently.
Sasuke frowns softly for a second, but then he closes his eyes and raises his face towards the darkening sky, his features slowly relaxing; when he opens his eyes once again, Ino receives her answer.
"…I go to the graveyard"
Her breath hitches at her throat for a second, and she berates herself for even asking. Just who told her to be so damn curious?! Damnit all!
She was starting to feel ashamed of herself; it was obviously a touchy subject for Sasuke; she had never seen him mention his deceased family before, and there she was rubbing salt in the wounds. Bravo Ino, well done.
"I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun.. I… shouldn't have asked.."
He shakes his head softly, almost imperceptivity. "It doesn't matter. You didn't do anything wrong"
She feels a little better after his words, her lips curving up into an apologetic smile.
"Still.. I think that's really nice of you, Sasuke-kun"
Turning slightly towards her, he asks. "What is?"
"You, going to visit them everyday. I'm sure they're grateful, because thanks to your company they're never alone"
She's smiling brightly now, and Sasuke finds himself observing her with that inexpressive deep stare of his.
"…You think so?"
He asks softly, after a moment; and Ino's smile stretches itself into a grin.
"I'm positive!"
And for some reason or another, he finds himself smiling back.
"So?"
"…I applied. What about you?"
"Same here"
She sighs, and leans back, supporting her body on the ground with her elbows.
"Do you think it'll be too hard?"
He shrugs nonchalantly, "Probably"
She sighs once again, and he observes her from the corner of his eye.
"But you don't need to worry, do you Yamanaka?"
She turns towards him only to find him smirking at her, amusement and something else clearly present in his eyes. A challenge.
"After all, you yourself said that you know how to take care of yourself; so some stupid exams should be nothing to you"
She doesn't hesitate on answering his smirk with one of her own, her insides perking up at the unspoken challenge.
"Heh, and who said I was worried? I was merely feeling pity at those I'll have to beat in order to win"
Their smirks stretch a little bit further as their eyes meet, and Sasuke snorts, breaking their gaze.
And as he turned away, Ino finally allowed her smirk to turn into an smile.
She thanked him inwardly; he had been right, she knew he was aware of that. She had been worrying about those exams a little much—what if she wasn't good enough? What if she failed him, herself, and her Team?—But she knew now what she had to do.
There was no space for doubt; she had to trust herself and her abilities, she had to trust her capacity of passing it all.
She thanked him, because in his own impersonal way, he had just reassured her better than anyone else would have been able to.
He had just told her he trusted her, and that she should trust herself as well.
"Well, this is it"
He nods, and Ino smirks.
"Next time we meet, we're both going to be Chuunin"
He's smirking as well, "Heh, don't doubt that for a second, Yamanaka"
"Ino" She says suddenly, surprising herself in the process; "Call me Ino. I'm starting to get tired of hearing my last-name all the time"
She's giving him a grin, and he blinks with surprise for an instant, before smirking.
"Aa, whatever"
He turns around, hands in his pant's pockets, raven hair blowing in the wind; and just as he starts walking, she hears his voice.
"See you later, Ino"
And she's left there, eyes glued to his retreating form, a calm smile curving her lips.
"Aa… see you, Sasuke"
She drops the honorific that day as well.
The next time they meet, Ino avoided meeting his gaze.
"What's wrong with you, Ino?"
Sasuke asked, somewhat annoyed at the blonde's odd behavior.
She didn't seem to listen to him, and if she did, she managed pretty damn well to remain unfazed.
He was just about to repeat himself when she spoke.
"Nothing's wrong, Sasuke"
He arched one eyebrow at the coldness of her voice, but pushed away his slight surprise in order to focus on his irritation. "Right. Because sure as hell I'm going to believe you"
She frowns softly, and turns her face to the side, hiding her eyes from him.
"…Aren't you mad?"
She asked finally, and he had to blink twice in order to ride himself of the surprise.
"So this is what this was about? About you don't making it to the next round?" His exasperation only increases when Ino seemed to shrink in her seat at his side; he sneers, before saying, "This is unbelievable, Ino."
The blonde's head suddenly snapped towards him, her eyes narrowed and glaring right at his "What's so unbelievable, Sasuke?! That I actually expected to get there? That I actually thought I could be able to pass? Or that I was stupid enough to think you would give a damn?"
He furrows his brow, before sighing tiredly, seemingly unaffected by Ino's sudden outburst. "No, Ino. What's unbelievable is that you're this depressed over your defeat. You aren't like this; you lost, so what? There'll be other chances. You should be out there training to get better and pass the next time, not dwelling onto your fails because that's not going to get you anywhere"
She's staring intently at the ground, her brow deeply furrowed; and Sasuke stares at her carefully for a second, before sighing once again.
"Ino, look at me" The blonde didn't make a single movement, and Sasuke, who was quickly starting to become exasperated with this out-of-character Ino, reached out and seized her by the shoulders, successfully attracting her attention.
When he saw her eyes meet his, he spoke. "What do you think was your mistake in your match against Sakura?"
The blonde seemed lost for a moment, but then she adverted her eyes yet again, spluttering an answer. "… I didn't have the enough chakra to keep the seal"
"That's it. Then you simply have to work on that, so it won't be your demise the next time" He lets go of her shoulders, and goes back to his usual position; "You have to learn for your mistakes, Ino. You know that"
From the corner of his eye, he sees her nodding softly, and he sighs with relief inwardly. Maybe some sense was starting to enter in that big, stubborn head of hers; he never thought he would be thinking this, but he was starting to miss the loud and cheery blonde. This depressed and low-spirited Ino was nothing like the blonde, and for some reason or another it bothered him to no end to see her like that.
"…Thank you, Sasuke"
He's not expecting her soft words, and neither is he expecting the smile she's giving him, so he finds himself being taken aback when he turns towards her.
But he easily gets a hold of himself, and closes his eyes, snorting softly.
"Heh"
"I won't be coming for a while"
Ino thought she heard something odd in his otherwise inexpressive voice as he said that, but she was so surprised by his words that she ignored it all. "What? Why?!"
She noted she had sounded way too disappointed and demanding, and for an instant she worried about what Sasuke's reactions was going to be—would he mock her?. But he didn't notice, and if he did he decided to not say anything about it.
"I'm going to train, with Kakashi. For the upcoming exams" Was his simple explanation, and Ino resisted the urge to curse loudly.
She wouldn't see him? For a whole month? How in the world did he expect her to live through that?! She always looked forward to their meetings; and even though sometimes he might as well not be there, she still enjoyed his presence immensely.
But Ino forced herself to get a grip, and took a deep intake of breath; Sasuke would be training. It was something he needed to do, and he had been nice enough to come and alert her that he wouldn't be there.
Ino hadn't realized that; and as she did, she felt herself smile, a warm feeling overcoming her body.
He cared, didn't he? Or he was starting to at least.
Suddenly, waiting for him didn't seem so outrageous anymore.
"You better take as much advantage of that time as you possibly can, Sasuke! Having Kakashi-sensei training you exclusively? For a whole month? You're damn lucky!"
She's grinning madly when he turns to look at her, but it still isn't hard to see the tinge of sadness in her blue eyes.
He pretends not to notice though; it's easier that way.
"You're going to become a Chuunin, Sasuke. I know it" Her smile brightens even more, and something unknown flutters inside his chest at the sight of it; "And I'll be cheering from the sidelines the whole time!"
When he leaves that day, that something is still fluttering inside his chest. And with slight surprise, he realizes that something was his heart.
Despite his words, more than a month goes by before they meet again.
Sasuke was sent to the hospital after Gaara went berserk; and Ino, who knew some details merely thanks to the things Sakura remembered, couldn't manage to go to visit him as much as she'd have liked to.
No one knew they were closer now, and she wasn't sure if Sasuke would've liked it if they found out; so she thought it was better to keep her distance.
Besides, she had to train. After Sasuke's words and what had happened with the village and the Sound, the need for her to become stronger had increased painfully, and she just couldn't find it in herself to fail once again.
Ino kept going to their place, though. Briefly, she wondered since when she had started to refer to it as that; it had always been hers before. But she couldn't help but call it theirs every single time she thought of the quiet field in her mind.
And she couldn't quite help the smile that possessed her lips whenever she did so.
Then, Sasuke fell into a coma.
She didn't know, didn't understand what had happened. Last time she went to the hospital with the excuse of bringing flowers to a patient, he had been alright. She was sure he would be getting off soon, sure he'd be there sitting there with her and watching the sunset in just a few more days.
But she had been wrong, and for reasons that she didn't know, Sasuke was away. Far away from her, from everyone. And she was left alone, hugging her knees to her chest sadly while the sunset didn't seem as warm and breathtakingly gorgeous anymore.
It made her feel frustrated; it made her mad, not knowing what was going on. Not knowing just what was wrong with Sasuke. She considered herself a part of his life; she may have been naïve in doing so, but she did. She honestly thought he cared about her; he wouldn't go and meet her everyday if he didn't. And that in her mind, gave her the right to know, just what was going on?
But she couldn't ask. And whenever she did, Sakura didn't know what to tell her. She didn't know it herself.
And with each passed day, her frustration grew stronger and stronger inside her chest. And her hopes of Sasuke waking up and joining her at watching the sunset started to disappear.
It's late; she thought absentmindedly, as she made her way towards their place. The flower-shop had been more crowed than usual that day, and when she finally found her way out of her job the sun had already set and the night was staring to fall.
But she went anyway, because it wasn't as if he would be there waiting for her to appear. So it didn't matter at all if she was a little bit later than usual or not.
The basket of flowers she had been holding fell from her grasp when her eyes landed on his back.
She couldn't believe what she was seeing; honestly, really couldn't bring herself to dare to believe that what she was seeing wasn't a trick of her imagination. She couldn't dare to raise her hopes up, because when she blinked and he disappeared, the pain would be even greater. Because it would hurt even more, and she wasn't sure if she would be able to stand it.
But then she saw him shift slightly in his position, and that was all she needed to get over her doubt and hesitation.
"Sasuke!"
She didn't care that she was screaming and breaking the stillness of the place; she didn't care that her voice was full of such happiness and relief that it would be impossible for Sasuke to have a hard time figuring out that her feelings for him had grown into something greater while he was away. She didn't care at all, couldn't bring herself to; not when he was that close, not when he was finally there, after so long…
"I didn't know you were awake already!" She said happily, coming to a halt right in front of him.
Her smile faltered though, when she saw his expression.
He looked exactly the same as when she had last seen him, but there was something different. There was something quite different in those obsidian eyes of his, something that she couldn't quite point out but that she was sure was there anyway; something that didn't seem or feel quite right and was starting to make her uneasy. Something that… something that was making her afraid.
Afraid of what? She didn't quite know. But she didn't like that feeling; didn't like it at all.
But her rushed and turmoil-filled thoughts came to a halt when he raised his face and meet her eyes with his.
"…I woke up today"
Were his quiet words, and she blinked; all her uneasiness being replaced by a worry that showed itself in her pretty features.
"But are you alright? Do you feel well enough as to be out so soon?"
"…I've never felt better"
There was something; something in his words that made a shiver ran up her spine. It may have been the quiet whisper in which he said them, or it made have been the dead tone he had used; a tone that went completely against the words he had just pronounced. But she forced herself to push it aside, and instead focused on sitting quietly by his side.
"Are you sure, Sasuke?" She couldn't help but asking, her eyes focused on him; "You look a little pale--"
"—I'm fine, Ino" He cut her, firmly, and Ino was left speechless. He adverted his gaze from her eyes, and focused his eyes on the ground, a small frown starting to contort his features.
"Sasuke… what happened? why did you..?" She started softly once again, after finding her voice; but Sasuke cut right through her unfinished question once again.
"Nothing happened. It doesn't matter. Not anymore" His frown deepened, and an odd glint possessed his eyes; "…I won't allow it to happen again" He murmured, so lowly that Ino had to strain to hear him.
She didn't understand. Didn't understand a single thing; and it was obvious that Sasuke didn't want to talk about it either, but she needed to know. She had a bad feeling; she felt that something wasn't quite right and she needed, needed some kind of reassurance that could prove her feeling wrong.
"Sasuke… I--"
"—Ino" He closed his eyes, and after a few moments, when he was sure that she wasn't going to continue whatever it was she had been about to say, he spoke once again, "…Could you please remain silent?...I.. I don't want to talk"
"But--"
"—There's something.. something I want to make sure I'm going to be able to remember, Ino. Please.."
She's stuck speechless by the tone of his voice, and she finds herself nodding against her better judgment.
There were so many things she wanted to ask, so many things she needed him to explain…. And still, she found herself nodding and agreeing to respect the boy's wish.
He seemed to relax slightly at seeing her answer, and for a moment, Ino thought she had seen a small and wary smile posses his thin lips. But then it was gone, and Sasuke had raised his face to the sky, closing his eyes and allowing the soft breeze to play with his raven bangs.
Ino didn't stop observing him during the whole time they stayed there. She couldn't bring herself to. There was something oddly beautiful about him that night; something oddly beautiful and heart-wrenching about the way his eyes were focused on the moon that had risen above them; something that squeezed and tore away at her heart about the hint of melancholy that his obsidian eyes had acquired.
There was something; something that she couldn't quite put her finger on. Something that she couldn't describe.
But that something, that something was telling her that it was time to say goodbye.
She woke up earlier than usual the next day; she hadn't slept much the previous night, and she was feeling excruciatingly tired.
But still, she had made up her mind last night; she would speak to Sasuke today. She would find him and ask him just what the hell had happened; and she wouldn't give a damn if he didn't want to talk or if he seemed sad or whatever about anything.
She would get her answers, and she would get them now.
Smiling with satisfaction at her disposition, she made her way down the street; so consumed by her thoughts she had been, that she almost didn't notice the shadow following her.
"Shikamaru" She stated plainly, coming to a halt in the middle of the street. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Spying me?" She smirks jokingly as the boy jumps down from the roof of the building she was standing in front of and lands neatly in front of her.
She notices that something was wrong in the instant their eyes meet, and her smirk starts to slowly slip from her lips.
"Shika?"
"…He left, Ino"
Something in the tone of Shikamaru's voice is oddly neutral and somber, and it is enough to alert Ino of the fact that the uneasiness radiating from his body wasn't because of the fact itself, but because he was telling it to her.
"What do you mean? Who left?"
And, she thinks as he watches him look at her sadly, that it all should have been enough to allow her to figure out the words he had been about to say.
"Sasuke. He left the village, Ino. He's a missing nin"
She didn't speak with anyone else during the whole day; she hadn't gone out from her room.
Through the hours she had spent locked inside, the Shikamaru's words kept replaying over and over through her head; and she remembered Sasuke's words and expression so much that they started to become a blur inside her troubled mind.
One part of her, deep down, was telling her that everything made sense. The other though, was clinging to denial like a little lost-kid.
That denial-filled part, was the one who had made her walk towards their place.
She arrived there at the exact hour they had tacitly agreed on meeting day after day; she sat quietly on the grass, and waited.
And waited.
And waited.
But he didn't come, he wasn't going to.
He couldn't, because he wasn't there.
He couldn't because he was on his way to the Sound-village; on his way to become their enemy. On his way away from her.
And as she finally acknowledged all that—as she finally accepted what had happened, she hugged her knees and cried.
She kept going anyway.
Day after day, afternoon after afternoon she would finish her shift at the flower shop, and would make her way towards the field.
She would sit there, and would watch the sunset.
She would get up when it was over, halting a few seconds as if she was expecting something, someone—but that someone would never come, and she would start walking back towards her house again.
After following the same routine for one year straight though, she decides to stop.
She decides it has been enough. She decides she has waited enough.
So she goes back one last time, a cyclamen softly grasped between her fingers; and she sits, once again watching the sun go down like she's so used to do.
But that would be the last time.
This time when she stands up, she stays a little longer staring at the stars that were starting to show up on the night-sky; she stays a little longer and for a moment she thinks that she doesn't want to go. She thinks that she doesn't want to let go, she feels that she isn't ready.
But she forces herself to be; because she has had enough.
So she curves her lips in a sad smile, and they part to whisper soft words while her fingers let go of the flower; which along her words is carried away by the soft wind blowing around her.
She then turns around and starts walking. She doesn't turn back.
"Goodbye… Sasuke"
She doesn't turn back.
And that's the reason of why she misses the shadow that reaches out from behind the tree and seizes the flower, watching her until she's out of view before disappearing himself with a soft poof.
- -
Owari
Did you guys like it? I really hope so xD
Forgive me for any OOC-ness.
The meaning of the flower Ino let's go of is: Resignation and Good-bye. Which I found pretty fitting for what I wanted to portray.
Reviews are love.