Yeah, this idea was bugging me so much that I just had to start it. There's really nothing else I can put at the top. Ah, the disclaimer.

Diclaier: I don't own Naruto.

Chapter One: An Unexpected Surprise

My name is Yamanaka Ino and I'm nineteen years old. I'm the key kunoichi of Team Ten. I help my parents run their flower shop, which isn't too bad when it's not painfully boring. My current best friend is Shikamaru, the lazy bastard of Konoha. He's also my teammate along with Chouji. Yes, we're still teammates, even if me and Shikamaru are jonin now.

Some odd years ago, I had the biggest crush on Uchiha Sasuke. I honestly thought we were meant to be together. But really, just think about it. Uchiha Ino? Lame! Anyway, I'm over him now. Actually, I've been over him for a while now. I've been hanging out with him and Naruto a few times a week. They can be pretty fun at times. Well, Naruto can.

I love someone else now, anyway. I figured out my feelings when I was fourteen, but I never acted upon them. She'd hate me if she knew I was crushing on her anyway. Yes, I said 'she'. Sakura, the female ninja of Team Seven, would hate me if she knew that I liked her like that.

When I was so much younger, before I was even a genin, I was best friends with Sakura. I helped her become a strong, beautiful girl. That friendship was ruined when we both started liking Sasuke. Truthfully, she was the one that ended our friendship, but I still stupidly let her walk away from me. I became her rival instead, fighting over Sasuke with her more times than I can remember.

That was all before I found out that I loved her. I think she still liked Sasuke when I found out. I also think that she noticed when I stopped caring about Sasuke and actually started trying to avoid her. She never confronted me about it, though. Really, I tried my damned hardest to avoid every possibility of me seeing her or vice versa, but I still managed to somehow see her every day.

However, Sakura left with her team on a mission that would take approximately a year to complete. I didn't like this one bit, even if I was trying to avoid her. Naturally, Shikamaru noticed when I became depressed and quiet, and I eventually confided in him about my feelings for Sakura. He took it quite well, actually. I have yet to tell Chouji, and I don't plan on doing it anytime soon.

About a year later, Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke come back from the mission. No Sakura. They all looked so sad, and Naruto looked like he had just finished crying when I finally saw them. Kakashi was the one that told me that Sakura had been captured. He told me that, because the chances of her surviving were so slim, she was most likely dead. That was like telling me that everyone I held dear to me had all perished in a fire.

It's been four years since then. Nobody but Shikamaru knows that I ever loved Sakura. I think that some part of me still cries because of the death of the pinkette of Konoha, and just can't believe that she's actually gone.

It's safe to say that these last four years have been absolute hell for me. Losing Sakura was bad enough, but...No, what happened on that mission will stay strictly between me, Tsunade, and Shikamaru. Nobody else needs to know.

Tightening her ponytail with a grumpy frown, Ino exited the apartment building she now lived in and marched down the street, intent on reaching the Hokage quickly so that she could go back home and relax on her day off sooner. Really, who did Tsunade think she was, calling her so early in the morning on a day like this? She had been asleep before the shrill ringing of her phone woke her up violently.

At least she didn't have a hangover like last time the Hokage had wanted her.

The blonde wasn't surprised when she saw hardly anyone outside, walking somewhere like she was. She wouldn't even be outside if Tsunade hadn't insisted that what she needed Ino for was absolutely urgent and that Ino had better get over there incredibly fast 'or else'. Ino hadn't stayed on the phone long enough to find out what she was in danger of if she didn't get her ass over to the Hokage Residence right away.

Flicking her hair out of her face, Ino continued to scowl as she walked briskly towards the building that she was steadily getting closer and closer to. It was too early for someone to even think for a second that she'd be all happy and cheerful about being told that she was needed for something urgent. At any other time it would have boosted her ego greatly, but now all she could think about was glaring a hole through the Fifth's forehead.

Ino continued to grumble about being called in at ungodly hours in the morning even after entering the Hokage Residence. She stormed over to Shizune's desk and slammed her hands on the top of it. Shizune looked up almost casually, having expected this kind of behaviour from the blonde when she was up so early. She had gotten used to it during the time that Ino had been a jonin, however short it may be.

"Ah, Ino. Lady Tsunade is expected you," Shizune nodded in the direction of the door that led to the Hokage before looking back down at her paperwork, intent on getting it done so that she could make sure Tsunade got her own work done.

Grunting grumpily, Ino walked away from Shizune's desk and towards the door to the Hokage's room. "'Lady' my ass..." She grumbled just before pushing through the door. She nearly stumbled back out as a result of what she saw, her teal eyes flying wide open. If she hadn't been completely awake before, she was now.

Tsunade turned her head slightly and smirked at the blonde who was obviously in a state of shock. "Ino, you made it," She greeted casually, her chin resting atop her fingers, which were clasped together. She, unlike Ino, seemed unfazed by the pinkette in the room, who looked like she had just had the best rest in the world.

Sakura hummed with curiousity and turned her head to look over her shoulder at Ino. She smiled at the expression on Ino's face, which stayed put even as the blonde walked on unsteady legs towards the Fifth's desk and stopped beside her. "Long time no see, Ino-pig," She grinned, though it faltered slightly when Ino didn't say anything or even glare at her because of the nickname.

Thousands of thoughts were going a mile a minute through Ino's head, so she felt she had the right to be so out of it at the moment. What was Sakura doing there? Wasn't she supposed to be dead? It had been four years after all! Was this all some sort of sick, twisted joke they had played on her, maybe to somehow get her to stop avoiding Sakura like the plague? It was all so confusing.

"I bet you're wondering why she's here," Tsunade started, still looking greatly amused because of the blonde. "Sakura came back a week ago and we treated her injures and such. She managed to get back to Konoha, even after being captured, and I admire her for it, seeing as how it's been so long already. However, you recall that she can no longer live in the old Haruno residence, as it was torn down two years ago."

Oh, no, she could see where this was going. Nevertheless, she could play dumb. "What does this have anything to do with me?" She asked, making sure to keep looking at Tsunade instead of at Sakura. It was bad enough that she could already feel a dull pain from the slightly hurt expression she could see out of the corner of her eye on the pinkette's face.

"You know very well what it has to do with you," Tsunade frowned at the fact that Ino was playing stupid with her. "She needs a place to stay. You have a place that someone can stay in. Make the connection, Yamanaka."

Ino immediatly put on a scowl, opening her mouth to protest. However, after receiving an intimidating glare from the Fifth, she thought better of it. "Fine..." She mumbled, looking down at the ground. "How long will she need to stay at my home?"

"As long as she wants. You two haven't seen in each other in a few years, I figured you'd be happy to see each other again. If I recall correctly, Ino, you were one of the ones that reacted the most to the news that Sakura was dead. It took Shikamaru, Chouji, and your parents two months to convince you to talk to them."

Ino looked angrily away from Sakura and Tsunade, stomping out of the room without waiting to be dismissed. "Whatever..." She growled, not even glancing at Shizune as she walked past the older girl and right out of the Hokage residence. She became aware of someone following her when she heard light, running footsteps advancing on her, yet she kept briskly walking back to her apartment.

"Ino, wait!" Sakura, after a few moments, caught up to the blonde, who didn't appear to be even thinking about slowing down for the pinkette. "Hey, stop," She said firmly, grasping Ino's wrist and stopping the blonde from continuing to walk. She frowned sternly at Ino.

"You haven't said a word to me yet, Ino. I've been gone for four years, five if you count the year before that I actually left on that mission. All I need to hear you say is one 'I missed you' and I'll feel better. Please," Sakura made sure to keep eye contact with the blonde for as long as she could, though that didn't turn out to be very long.

Ino scowled, not saying anything to the pinkette. She stood in silence, actually taking a moment to look over Sakura to see any changes. Her face had a certain angular look to it, and her curves were certainly more noticeable than when Ino had last seen her. Her hair should have been longer, but apparently it had been neatly trimmed up while Sakura had been treated.

"Just say anything," Sakura muttered and grasped Ino's chin only to have it wrenched violently out of her grip. She looked at the scowling blonde with confusion, waiting for her former best friend to say something.

"You want me to say something? Fine! How could you just get yourself caught and stay that way for four whole years without sending a single message or anything so we'd know you were dead?! When your team got back, Naruto was practically in tears! Just...How could you?!" Ino threw her arms up above her head and ground her teeth together, storming off towards her apartment again.

It took a moment, but Sakura finally caught up to Ino again, an annoyed, confused, and rather sad expression on her face. "You think getting caught was my fault?! I'm lucky I'm still alive, you pig! I thought you'd be happy to see me here!"

"Once again, you could have sent some kind of message! Do you know how depressed Naruto is half the time when I see him? He's one of the people who haven't gotten over your supposed 'death'!" Ino paused thoughtfully, suddenly turning her head to glare coldly at Sakura. "He hasn't been sad all week though."

Sakura remained silent, staring quietly at the ground as she continued to walk. Her pace seemed to slow, though, but that didn't stop Ino from slowing as well in order to keep glaring at her.

"I can't believe you! He's known this whole week?! He never told me! In fact, nobody told me! Has Shikamaru and Chouji known this whole time?" The blonde narrowed her eyes further when Sakura said nothing, but turned her head so that she couldn't see Ino out of the corner of her eyes anymore.

"They did! They never told me!" Ino practically roared. Sure, she knew that she was overreacting greatly, but she couldn't help it. Even Naruto had told her that she had been through a lot while Sakura was gone. Shikamaru and Chouji had told her that she had started to look different, and not in a good way. Sasuke had simply told her that she had looked like shit.

"Ino, don't you think you're overreacting?" Sakura asked, following the blonde into a building that she assumed was where Ino now lived. "I know, you should have been told, but I guess they figured that, since me and you hated each other, you wouldn't care."

The blonde flicked her hair out of her face again, eyes still narrowed dangerously as she stormed up the stairs and down the hallway, regardless of any people that were still sleeping. She threw open the door and kicked off her shoes, immediatly retreating to the living room portion of her apartment just as Sakura got in the door and shut it behind her.

Just as I get over her, just as I fucking get over her! Ino thought angrily, collapsing onto her couch with her face buried in one of the cushions, her right arm hanging over the side, and her left arm straight down and touching her hip. She groaned tiredly into the couch, hearing soft footsteps coming closer to her.

Sakura sighed, standing by the couch with her hands crossed. Ino was muttering something into the couch that Sakura couldn't quite make out, but it sounded like 'fuck, fuck, fuck' to her. From the sudden growl of frustration, she assumed that she was right.

"What the hell are you doing here, Sakura?" Ino finally turned her head so that Sakura could understand her, once again glaring at the pinkette. Despite the fact that she found it increasingly hard to stay angry at Sakura, especially when Sakura looked so sad about how she was reacting, but she still managed to keep up her scowl.

"So you went from being angry about how I was gone for so long to being angry that I came back?" Sakura raised an eyebrow, drumming the fingers on her right hand against her left arm. "My, you certainly are grumpy this morning."

"Fuck off. You know damn well what I meant. Why agree to come here? Why not stay with Naruto or someone that you actually don't hate?" Ino shut her eyes, feeling an oncoming headache from the stress she knew she'd be put through. Her muscles were still sore from the last mission that she had gotten back from yesterday, and it didn't help that she hadn't gotten a very good rest. Damn the Hokage and her valid threats.

"You think I hate you?" Sakura asked softly, looking sadly down at Ino, who's scowl faltered noticeably. "I don't. I'd much rather stay with you than Naruto or anyone else. We kinda..." She vaguely gestured to herself, then to the blonde, "understand each other, y'know?"

"No, I don't. We fought over Sasuke for so long, I hardly even know you," Ino frowned and buried her face back into the cushion so that she didn't have to face the kicked-puppy look that she was familiar with on Sakura's face from so long ago. She had remembered that look well, as that was the face that the pinkette had always used on her in order to get something.

"Ino..."

After Ino's name was mumbled, both girls stayed silent for a few minutes with Ino not wanting to say anything for fear that her resolve would crumble even more and with Sakura not saying anything because she thought Ino wouldn't even acknowledge her if she did. Those few minutes of silence was enough for Ino, since the girl slid off the couch and trudged into the kitchen, exhaustion showing in her eyes.

Sakura moved towards Ino with alarm when the blonde winced and exhaled through her teeth, grabbing her side, then her shoulder when she found that that joint hadn't liked the sudden movement. "Ino, you're hurt," She stated the obvious, grabbing ahold of Ino's arm carefully.

"I'm just sore," Ino snapped, trying to wrench her arm away from Sakura, but didn't have the luck that she had had before. "Let go of me, I'm fine."

"No, you aren't. Not doing anything about it and just going to sleep will just make wherever you're sore even worse. Don't you remember when we were younger when you're leg was sore and you didn't do anything about it or tell anyone when it started hurting? It hurt so much that you were actually limping, and I noticed. Didn't you pull that muscle?" Sakura asked, steadily pulling Ino back to the couch.

"Yeah," Ino confirmed absently, allowing herself to be dragged back to the couch while she momentarily recalled that memory. "My parents fussed over me like a baby with a cold, then gave me shit when I felt better." Despite the situation, she grinned and giggled to herself, remembering how shocked she had been when, after telling her parents that her leg didn't hurt anymore, they suddenly turned on her and told her that she couldn't help out in the flower shop for a week for not telling anyone that her leg had hurt. Of course, back then she had absolutely adored helping out there.

Sakura nodded, smiling when the heard the very Ino-esque giggle from beside her. When she attempted to move Ino, she snapped out of her daydream and stepped away from the pinkette. "Ino..." Sakura started in a warning tone, "you're hurt. You can't just ignore your pain or it'll get worse."

"I'm perfectly fine, Forehead," Ino growled, completely ignoring Sakura's tone. "It'll pass soon enough." She pulled the elastic that held her hair back out of her hair and shook it out, looking away from Sakura's stern expression. "You can take the couch. This is my place, after all," She muttered, walking stiffly towards her own room.

"Well, don't complain to me when you're so sore that you can't walk," Sakura huffed, irritated at how stubborn her former best friend could be. A thought then crossed her mind. "Hey, isn't it basic manners to offer your guest your own bed instead of telling them to sleep on the couch?"

"When your pissed at your guest, that never counts," Ino disappeared into her room, shutting and leaning against her door with a relieved sigh. She was too tired to deal with this situation properly. Once she got some sleep, she figured that she'd be able to handle this whole 'Sakura's not actually dead' problem.

Knowing her, though, trying to handle it better would probably just confuse or amuse Sakura even more.

Ino walked silently towards her bed, shedding her pants and shirt and dropping them on the floor as she went. At the last moment, she turned from her bed and went towards her dresser for some pajama pants and a sports bra, her normal sleepwear.

This is so confusing. I can't think about this right now or I'll never get to sleep, Ino rubbed her forehead and groaned softly, pulling up her purple pajama pants after putting on her matching purple sports bra. She moved to the bed, pulling back the covers. She turned her head to look at the closed door when she heard Sakura's slightly muffled voice calling from the couch.

"Inooo, this couch is so uncomfortable!"

Ino looked back down at her bed and climbed onto it, snuggling up into the blanket. She winced when she moved her sore leg in a rather painful way, hurriedly moving it again so it didn't hurt as much. So glad I have that couch out there. Otherwise I'd have to force her to sleep on the table or floor or somethin' out there. I don't even want to think about what I might do if she were to sleep in here...

"Can't I have a blanket?"

I mean, it's bad enough she has to stay in the same apartment as me.

"Or at the very least a pillow?

The blonde groaned and slid out of her bed, walking towards her closet and pulling out a folded up blanket that was laying at the bottom of it. Wearing a distinctly grumpy expression, she left her room, dragging the blanket behind her, and paused in front of Sakura, who was stretched out on the couch with her eyes closed and her hands behind her head.

"Here. Now shut up so I can get some sleep," Ino grumbled, dropping the blanket beside the couch. She figured that if she didn't fall asleep soon, she'd end up sleeping during her whole day off. That thought made Ino pause, but on the outside she kept walking towards her room again.

I have to spend my whole day off with Sakura. What's worse is that I might have to explain what's happened in the last five years if Naruto or anyone else hasn't already.

Ino frowned and shut the door behind her as soon as she got into her room, flicking off the light with a small sigh. I can only hope she can't read me as well as she could when we were best friends. That may cause me trouble in more ways that one. The blonde closed her eyes and pulled the blanket up to her chin, closing her eyes and drifting off into a sound sleep. She wasn't looking forward to waking up with her secret love in her apartment.

There, Chapter One is done. Just so you know and so it doesn't look all weird, when the time Sakura was gone is said to be four years, it means the time that she was captured and supposed to be in Konoha, and when it's five years, that's including the time that she was actually supposed to be out on the mission. Oh, and Ino has quite the mouth on her in this story, doesn't she?

Oh, and I will still be adding to 'Steps To Success', so don't think I've forgotten about it. I'm just a bit stumped as to what to really have happen in that chapter. I'm sure I'll get over it soon enough.

- Flower Cynic