A/N: .. personally I don't like oneshots much.. ;...; to me, they are always too short. Surprisingly, thanks to ShikaHina pairing I've come to love, I've started to understand the wonderful opportunies oneshots can create.. so here, another one! Sorry it's not ShikaHina (I'd love to write more about them, but my writing skills just aren't sufficient for it..) but I still hope you'll like it !

P.S. I still don't own Naruto. If I did, it would be all about Hinata and Shikamaru. And yea, Sasuke of course. And a bit of Kiba (and Akamaru z3), too..

P.P.S. I'm determined to make this oneshot at least 1000 words long. I have to do it. For the sake of my own sanity.. (I'm picky enough to shun fics that don't have enough words in my opinion.. I know I'm bad. I apologize for that).

Ino

Ino knew that she had lost.

Since the day Sasuke had first experienced the power of Orochimaru's seal.. Since the moment he had almost killed the sand nin who had hurt Sakura.. Since Ino had seen Sakura hug him, making the seal fade away.. The blonde had known that deep down, Sasuke cared deeply for Sakura.

Still she kept fighting.

She hadn't wanted to become conscious of her defeat. She knew that what she felt for him, the heart throb of whole Konoha, was – at some level – real and pure. She really wished to be his. She wanted him to accept her feelings. She needed to be wanted by him.

Why had she hurt herself on purpose, trying to get his attention while knowing it was in vain, it was too late? Her heart hurt, but she tried to ignore it. Tried to convince herself that this was worth it. Someday, she would help him revive his clan. Someday, she would be loved by him. She could wait for that day for eternity. She was ready to suffer, wishing – no, hoping – that her dreams would come true.

They never did.

Hinata

Unrequited love.

Why was life so damn ironic, making her fall for a boy who loved another? He was in love with someone else.. Naruto knew her pain and was so blinded by it that he didn't see her suffering..

Hinata knew that Kiba liked her.

She just couldn't like him back – wouldn't, she had loved Naruto for so long she considered herself an addict. Some might call her a stalker, which she was, in a way. Always watching him, admiring him from afar, never going too close in fear that he might notice and with one word would shatter her world in pieces: Sakura.

In time, Hinata had come to hate the pink-haired girl.

She shouldn't, Sakura had done nothing wrong – except treated him like shit, like he was a leech. In Hinata's love-blinded mind, a stalker and a leech might lead a happy life together. But no, he was madly in love with Sakura.

How Hinata hated that name..

A random bar in Konoha

The two were silent.

Both knew the other's pain, but didn't dare to say anything, not even to comfort. The other wouldn't really understand, would just offer words with no meaning. Just like the others who knew nothing of their suffering.

Silence was enough. The other's presence was enough. Had it not been for the three people that came in, Ino and Hinata would have been silent whole night.

"Oh, it's Ino and Hinata! Hi guys!" Sakura greeted then enthusiastically. To Ino it seemed like she was wordlessly trying to boast of her price, Sasuke, by hanging on his arm the whole time. Hinata on the other hand was looking away, trying to avoid being noticed. Usually it worked, but her melancholy aura was clearly visible.

"Hinata-chan, are you alright?" Sakura asked, resting a hand on the Hyuga's shoulder. 'A stupid question', both Ino and Hinata thought, 'after all you've done..'. Being rude had never been part of Hinata's nature, so she forced an answer out of her mouth.

"No, I'm not okay. I'll get over it, though" she answered, quickly glancing at Naruto. He was as oblivious as ever, trying to offer Sakura a drink while she tried to swat him away like a fly. The pink-haired girl, just as her companion, noticed the almost imperceptible gesture. Sakura frowned, and before anyone realized that she had raised her hand, Naruto was already down on the foor, cluthing his head.

"What did you do this time, Naruto?!" Haruno girl was already lecturing him. Seeing this made Hinata's heart ache. No-one should treat Naruto that way. No-one should hit him for something he didn't do. Hell, no-one should hit him ever! The sight of Sakura pounding the helpless boy caused something to snap in Hinata's head. No more.

"Stop it! Can't you see he's hurting? Stop it!"

In surprise at hearing Hinata's soft voice yell, Sakura stopped. Looking up, she saw hurt, pain, agony, and plain anger in the Hyuga's eyes. Slowly retreating from the blond, Sakura went to her original place, next to Sasuke. Ino just sat at the bar, not shocked but surprised. A small smile crept to her face.

It was good to hear Hinata yell.

Ino liked Hinata's attitude. If only she would be as courageous when sober, that would make things a lot easier. She would tell Naruto how she felt and be done with it, no regrets.

A bittersweet smile overcame Ino's face, 'if I could change like she did..maybe I could do something about my own life for a change'. But what could she do? She was certain that she had expressed her feelings openly enough for Sasuke to know – or had she? Did he think that she was only competing with Sakura, no feelings attached?

Hinata had bent down to check Naruto for injuries. For her relief, she found none. Still keeping a wary eye on Sakura she helped the almost unconscious boy up, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Stubbornly silent, she left the bar.

"Geez, she didn't have to take it that personally.. I've been beating him for years!" Sakura commented, signaling for the bartender to give her a drink.

"Well, she's never been drunk while you've been at it", Ino said, standing up from her seat. Her balance wasn't exactly perfect, so she stubled a bit before being able to stand up straight. No matter, she focused her look on Sasuke. The quesioning look on his face and Sakura's insistent grip on his arm were what decided what Ino was going to say next.

"So long, suckers! I'll get over you Sasuke, just you see.. I wonder if Naruto has a cousin.." and with that she was out of the door, just like her shy friend a minute earlier.

'She.. she didn't get mad at me for holding Sasuke?'

In the streets of Konoha

"Why did you help me?" Naruto asked, still leaning a bit for support.

"Well, first of all I've loved you. Always. A lot. And I'm drunk, so.." Hinata left the sentence open, smiling a fake smile. She knew Naruto saw through it, and was dissapointed when he didn't point it out. When he finally opened his mouth to speak, she interrupted him.

"I know you don't like me that way. It's fine with me, I've gotten used to it over these years.. I just hate to see you get hurt by her.. She's a real bitch, you know. Not acknowledging your feelings and punching you time after time though you're innocent of every crime she blaims you for. Tonight was the last straw: she hurt you though you did nothing to me", Hinata said looking away from him, "nothing". Her tone of voice was bitter and contradicted her words. Naruto was sober enough to recognize the dissapointment she had in him.

"I'm.. sorry", he whispered.

Neither said a word after that untill they arrived at his building. She gave his arm (the one that she had hold over her shoulders) back in haste and turned to leave.

"I really am.. sorry" Naruto said again. To his surprise, she turned around to face him once more, an amused smile on her face.

"Shut up, you sound just like Cho" (1) and with that she was gone.

While walking home, Ino saw Hinata walk away from Naruto's apartement. An idea, a crazy one, came to her. Quickly she ran (well, she walked as fast as she could without tripping) to the young Hyuga and leaned close to whisper something in her ear. The shy girl's reaction was not what the blonde had expected: she blushed and giggled. Couraged by this, she whispered another question.

"No fucking way, my father would kill me! Let's go to your place instead."

All worries forgotten, the two kunoichi walked peacefully, occasionally blushing, towards the Yamanaka Flower Shop, on upstairs of which Ino lived.

The next morning was sunny, to both of them.

A/N: as much as I'd like to write a T or M rated scene, I feel I'm not capable to. There are so many talented writers in that I wouldn't dream of doing it: I would either end up making you, all my dear readers, blind or I'd be guilty of plagiarism.

P.S. 1348 words ! I'm proud of myself. You should too, so review please?

(1) Cho as is Cho Chang from movie Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Sorry, some lines just get stuck on my head xP. Anyway, she said this particular line after she had turned him down 'bout the whole Yule Ball thing.