DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto

SUMMARY: she was hurt when he left, he never bid her goodbye and now he's back. Will she ever find the answer?

A/N: the characters aren't really in line with that of their personality in Naruto but I'm really trying.

The wheat blonde, blue-eyed kunoichi tended the flower shop when she wasn't on any mission. she wakes up at 8:00 in the morning goes to their kitchen to prepare breakfast for her and her father, eat a meal, take a shower, get dressed, brush her teeth then exactly at 9:00 in the morning opens the shop for everyone to enjoy the sweet smelling flowers.

She was tending a bouquet of Rosemarys in a vase, "remember me" she thought. That was what the flowers meant, remember me. "I wonder why they last this long, they should have withered by now." She held the vase while admiring the flowers' beauty, suddenly she saw a familiar figure passing by their glass windows –CRASH – the vase slipped from her hands, her mouth agape, wide-eyed and pupils dilated. Her feet brought her to the door to confirm what she just saw, she didn't mind the mess, the million pieces of glasses scattered, spilled water and the flowers were ignored.

There he was his black hair longer and his built even better. His complexion was still of pale white and his eyes never changed. The same old pair of onyx eye with the perfect shades still emotionless and cold like they ever were but something was odd. Among the village people and his old fan girls around him he acknowledge her presence with an eye-locking gaze. She was still in shock, she was looking at him admiring him from afar but all her enthusiasm drained she didn't know what to say or do. As a massive crowd circled around him their eyes lost contact and all Ino could see was the back of the people whom either hates him or admires him.

"why is he here?" she thought to herself. Slowly she opened the flower shop door and went inside only to find a brown pineapple haired boy, Shikamaru. "I see you've already seen him."

"Why is he back?" she asked him, he shrugged his shoulders that gestured I don't know.

"isn't this the moment you've been waiting for?" he asked her with eyes closed. "maybe, I don't know" she answered him her voice like a mere whisper. "Troublesome" he muttered.

He raised his arms and placed them behind his head and walked to the door "maybe this is your chance to ask him" he whispered eyes half-open.

Ino stood still, her heart beating faster, her mind confused than ever. The door shot close, Shikamaru left, Ino broke from her daze.

"maybe I should ask him, I do deserve an explanation or maybe I shouldn't, he's changed, he might have forgotten about me" she sat on the stool on the counter her head occupied with the thoughts that came flashing back.

"annoying" he muttered under his breath. A 12 year-old Ino glomping on his back, "Sasuke-kun!" she chirped, her face close to his.

"Ino-pig, why don't you just leave Sasuke alone? You know he doesn't like you"

"not a chance forehead! I'm not letting you have him all to yourself" and stuck her tongue out to her.

"annoying" Sasuke said out loud then walked out

But what Sakura didn't know is that Ino followed Sasuke, she just took a different route so that she wouldn't be suspicious. There he was where Ino thought he'll be, on the training grounds.

"Sasuke-kun" she called out. Sasuke didn't look at her, he didn't even stop training.

"Sasuke-kun" she called out to him again and like the first time, ignored her.

"Sasuke-kun" Ino was persistent, she wanted to tell him something and she wouldn't leave him if he won't talk to him. Sasuke was now irritated and to get things over with he decided to talk to her.

"what is it that you want Yamanaka?" he said flatly

"I-I j-just-" he cut her off "-if you have nothing important to say just leav-" Ino didn't know what to say so she just – kissed him. It was soft, it was sweet, it was slow but more importantly it was perfect.

She gently pulled away, her face flushed in deep shades of red, she didn't look at him, "I'm sorry Sasuke-kun but I just wanted to say that I really like you and I wouldn't let Sakura have you no matter what, if you hate me for this I do not regret telling you what I feel because what I said is true" she sped off, Sasuke didn't move from the spot.

She was happy that she finally told him what she feels about him and ecstatic that he was her first kiss even though she was the one who initiated it.

NEXT DAY…

Ino was tending the shop like she always did when an unexpected visitor came

"Good Morning1 Welcome to Yamanaka – Sasuke-kun?" she was shocked. "what is he doing here? Will he tell me he hates me about what I did yesterday?" her face losing its color, her feet becoming soft as jello.

"I came to see you Ino" he spoke flatly not looking at her. "About what?" she smiled then chuckled nervously.

Sasuke was silent, he paused. Ino was feeling restless as well as uneasy "if this is about yesterday, I understand. I have nothing to –" "are you free today?" he cut her off again but now he didn't sound indifferent, he sounded sweet, calm and sincere.

"is this really happening? Sasuke-kun's asking me out?" she felt excited. She hugged him tightly, salty water filled her eyes slowly dripping to her cheeks. Sasuke hugged her back, she always admired the kunoichi in fact he got used to her glomping at him. She smelled sweet and fresh even after a hot day but he didn't want others to notice and he didn't want to admit it that he likes her because of his dream but because of the kiss he couldn't control what his feelings. "dry your tears Ino" he stroked her hair and wiped off the tears from her face.

For several days they stayed like that, loving each other secretly. Sasuke would always drop by at their flower shop pretending to buy flowers but after dark he would climb into her bedroom where they would talk for hours – a moment they shared together. But because of Sasuke's dream, the strong urge of the dark part of his heart he left Konoha without saying good-bye. Sakura was the last person who saw him, she was the only person he bid good-bye.

After the war, she looked for Sasuke but to her surprise a teary-eyed pink haired kunoichi went up to her, "he left Ino, Sasuke left the village, he left us" her sobs stronger and every breathe became harder. Ino dropped to her knees and together they cried all to their hearts' content.

"what's gotten into you Ino?" he tugged her slightly. Ino didn't respond. She was still in bed covered with blankets.

"Ino, why does he matter to you? he didn't even like you!" he shouted. Ino didn't want to hear this, she raised her blanket and slapped Shikamaru. "he loved me" he told him.

"Ino stop all your nonsense, he didn't even look your way!" he was now furious at Ino. "no, Shikamaru. You don't know anything" she whispered. "I'm sorry" she sobbed again.

"Ino, tell me. Was there anything between you and Sasuke?" he was now puzzled. Ino sobs were now harder and she couldn't stop the tears. Shikamaru knew better, he knew she couldn't talk the way she is now, he hugged her softly "everything's going to be alright Ino, don't worry" he assured her.

Ino hugged him back and wept on his chest. After the tears have dried, Ino told Shikamaru the truth about their secret love affair. Shikamaru listened to her, he didn't talk nor complain like he always did – he just knew Ino needed him right now.

"Shikamaru, why didn't he say goodbye?" she asked him over and over but Shikamaru didn't want Ino to get hurt nor give her false hopes "I don't know Ino' was all he could say.

Ino couldn't sleep that night, she couldn't stop thinking about Sasuke and for some reason she felt as if someone was watching her.

"Who's in there? Show yourself!" she demanded as she pulled a kunai from her bedside drawer. She heard a soft chuckle. She was stunned but she didn't let her guard down. She calculated where the voice came from and where the mysterious person would be, "gotcha!" she said out loud as she threw the kunai out the window. But he was faster, he caught the kunai and like a flash of lightning he was instantly behind her.

"You've grown Ino." This sent shrills down her spine. She recognized his voice, he knew who he was and he was none other than – "Sasuke" she spoke.

"You haven't forgotten about me, have you?" he asked. Ino suddenly became furious, she felt all the pain that she felt 10 years ago. She started pounding his chest while sobbing all the hurt and the pain. He let her hurt him, he realized it was his fault after all leaving her alone without saying anything to her despite treasuring him more than her life.

"I hate you!" she kept repeating while slamming her closed fists on his chest. He couldn't take those words, he wouldn't accept them. He knew she still loved him. He hugged her tightly, a lone tear slid from his eyes. Ino's pounding slowly fading, she was growing weak from his grip.

"why Sasuke? Why did you leave me? Why didn't you say goodbye?" she asked him while sobbing in his arms.

"I couldn't say the words to you because I wanted you to wait for me"

"you could've have told me, I could've wait-"

"-no Ino, I never wanted to say goodbye" he kissed her forehead, her nose, her chin and on her lips. Slowly, gently, passionately like their first kiss.

A/N: i've rewritten this because the first one was really a blur. if you still find it confusing i'm open for suggestions^^

and thank you for the two comments i've recieved, thanks(: