Angels Shouldn't Cry
An InoxChoji Fan fiction
I have been laying in this exact spot for two hours, twenty six minutes and thirty seven seconds. Now thirty eight. Now thirty-nine. The only reason I knew how long I'd been laying here, down to the exact second, is because I am dying, and the pain is unbearable. The only way to make it feel less so is to distract myself. And so I began to count. Counting did not make the pain go away completely, but the stinging sensation in my forehead and arms was replaced with the headache I was getting from counting seconds, over and over again. I would have to soon find something else to replace this heady task in order to distract myself.
War is a sick thing. Watching my comrades, the shinobi of the leaf, get torn apart, chiseled in half, cut brutally, and kicked like they were animals by the enemy, showed me this. In a blind rage I attacked, and in a blind rage I was attacked.
It seemed like no matter where someone turned, there was someone else to fight. If chakra stakes hadn't already been high enough, the enemy had tactics to keep up their stamina so that we would tire out first.
It had worked.
I had been fighting for many hours. Those I didn't count. I wasn't dying then. All I knew was the moment the sun peaked over the large mountains, we, my battalion of about one hundred leaf shinobi, were attacked. I only lead the group because I was asked by Uzumaki Naruto to. It was a favor of his. He had chosen to take his own few select shinobi out to attack the leader of the enemy.
I wasn't the only one he asked. Nara Shikamaru, my best friend, had taken his shinobi east, while I had gone west. We'd shook that neither of us would die on this mission. I hated to lose any bet. Aburame Shino, along with most of his clan, also took a large piece of shinobi and headed south. Inuzuka Kiba had taken north. Naruto had taken Hatake Kakashi and Hyuuga Hinata with him.
There was also a team of medics, though they hadn't yet shown up this way. The medics were made up of Haruno Sakura, Ten Ten and Yamanaka Ino, and several other skilled workers. Their primary function was to help out whatever side was facing the worst damage, whether it be from the north, south, east or west.
It was too late for my side.
After hours of brutal violence, it had ended in a draw. There were no survivors. Except for me.
And even I wasn't cutting the bill.
I was hoping desperately that one of two things would happen. The first of which was I was hoping that a medic nin, any medic nin, would make their way to the chaos over on my side of the battle field and find me. I swore as I realized I had crawled away from the field and was closer to the forest now. The second thing I hoped was that if I were to die, that it would be soon.
I could not handle too much more pain for too much longer. Surely there was an end to the horrible sensations that came from nearly ever limb of my body? I hoped so.
So now I am waiting. Waiting for one of the two things to happen. For anything to happen. It would be greatly appreciated if my fate could be met now.
That's when I heard something.
Was it footsteps? I think they are anyway, they sound like it. But they're light, not heavy like a mans. It must be a woman. A medic maybe? I was hoping so, I couldn't deal with it if it were the enemy. I hadn't seen many females to begin with but hey, things happened right?
I heard something being dropped on the ground. I assumed it was bodies and the dead weight. Perhaps they were checking to see if their comrades had lived. I felt like I should try to say something, but I couldn't find my voice.
I heard the girl sob quietly as she came closer. Her breathing was more like panting, She must have been running a long distance before coming here. I hear her cough a few times before she comes really close to me. She's mumbling under her breath, but my mind isn't comprehending what she's saying… her voice is so familiar.
She comes closer to me and I can hear the mumbling a bit more now. She's looking for someone, she keeps saying "He's got to be here… I know he's here… Oh God please let him be okay!" I know that voice! I know it! It's Ino! Oh man if I had the strength how I would cry out right now…For sheer joy and happiness. Ino is here. My teammate, my friend.
I want so badly to call her over, but my mouth is dry and the taste of blood is potent. I can't see well either, and cannot turn my head. I merely pray she notices the trail of blood.
She's a smart girl, that Ino.
"Choji?" She called, her voice, so soft before these battles, was now hoarse and aged. Was she alright? "Choji!" Her high voice cracked and I heard her run. But something was off. She didn't run normal. And it didn't occur to me what was wrong until I heard her trip and fall. She was injured, favoring one of her legs. What had happened?
I fight the urge to scream as I force my head to turn toward her voice. The pain is so incredible I can barely manage it. There though, is my reward. Ino.
Her slender body is pushed harshly on the ground. She has a large, purple bruise on her arm. She's crawling toward me, Her eyes are wide and bluer than I recall them being. Her blond hair is in a total disarray.
She's beautiful. Sure, I may be biased. After all, I'd had a crush on her for several years. Several tortured years. Beautiful, but silent. I never knew what she was thinking. And to my despair, it seemed that I never would. Ino continued to drag her exhausted body toward me.
She's really here. Really here. Not just some illusion, not a dream, nor a fantasy. She's here, in the flesh.
"Choji." She gasped. Tears are streaming down her face. I can't bear to see tears on her face like this. It hurts physically. I want to call out to her, comfort her in some way. She reaches me and pulls herself onto her elbows. I can almost see her clearly now… I can smell the sheen of whatever lotion she'd been using, combined with sweat and blood. She's still crying, and again I feel the urge to wipe away the tears.
"I'm so glad… so glad I found you." She is sort of laughing… I think. That's what it sounds like. She sounds relieved to me. I merely rake my eyes over her face, taking in as much of it as I could. I felt so cold.
"Choji… hold on, I have something…" She sat up, wincing and I almost told her not to do it, but she wouldn't have listened anyway. "It's not much, and I'm down on chakra…" She held a grey blanket up. It had blood stains on the corners, but it looked warm. She carefully placed it around my torso. It surprisingly covered most of my body, and it was warm.
"I've been looking for you… we won Choji, we won… but the battlefields… oh they're horrid…" She sounded so beautiful like this. Worried about her comrades. It was endearing. She looked at my face with that same, worried expression. Maybe I looked as bad as I felt.
"Shikamaru is okay… his side of the fleet did unnaturally well… only one or two casualties total…He's too much of a genius to have not succeeded…Temari is with him now, they're heading back to Konoha." I can finally breath easy. Shikamaru at least survived. Even if I couldn't say the same for myself, he would inevitably be okay. That alone is helping me stay out of panic. She parts her lips to speak again. I think she knows I'm dying. She always used to tell me that talking to someone who was dying helped them relax and stay alive for just a bit longer. How thoughtful of her.
"Kiba didn't fair all to well…" She is saying. Her voice is aching with sadness. I long to comfort her, but my strength is continuing to dwindle. "Most of his side was utterly annihilated. He's heading to Konoha under critical supervision… he was pretty beaten up…" She sniffs, wiping away a few stray tears that are rolling down her face. "Shino's side faired better though… most of the Aburame's just took care of their clans back, but they did almost as well as Shikamaru… Naruto returned with Hinata and Kakashi-sensei… Hinata-chan looks bad, but Naruto's got her… she should be okay."
As morbid as this talk is, I can't be upset for hearing it. It is just what I need to feel like maybe I'm not going to die in a short hour or so. Well, at least I got to see the pretty Konoha medic nin I'd come to love before I did.
Ino's eyes are flashing. I think she can read my facial expressions better than I had thought, because she abruptly gets angry. "Don't you leave me now, Choji. You're going to be fine. You are, I promise!" How could I refuse such a face? But the air is so thick, I cannot respond with words. I blink at her instead. She takes that as my submission. Ino always was the tenacious one, the dominant one. Shikamaru had, behind her back of course, agreed that she would undeniably take the position of leader of our little team, and there was no way either of us was going to challenge her.
I focus my eyes on her as best I can. He arm reaches forward and touches my forehead where my forehead protector had cracked. She pulls her hand away and I can see the crimson blood staining her dainty fingers. Her eyes are wide and so sad. Her hand drops to meet my right hand, the hand attached to the arm that I am resting on at this moment. She slides her fingers in between mine. She's so warm.
"Choji… you're so cold…" She kisses my fingers and I try to smile, but I know it looks more like a grimace at this point. "Too cold…" I grimaced again. I knew this already, but it still hurt to know she could tell, and I could not, at the very least, keep it from her.
"I made Shika a promise, you know." She said leaning her head down slightly. "I told him no "matter what, whether you were dead or alive, I would bring you back. " She pauses. "But I also made a promise to myself. I promised I would find you alive and wait with you until the rest of the help arrived. I'm making good on that promise Choji." I stare at her. She promised Shika too? My throat tightens and it tickles, but in a sickening way. I cough and I can taste the blood heaving out of my throat. Internal bleeding.
Ino's eyes are wide and tears begin to pour out of her eyes. The reddened sky makes her look so like an angel… she really is beautiful.
"Choji…please don't leave me… I know I've been shallow… I know I've been, well, a bitch at times, I know I haven't been the best friend I could be…." What is she talking about? She's a great friend. I strain to continue listening, but it's so hard. "…and…I love you Choji. Really. I can't let you go on me. I need you. And I'm such a selfish idiot." Fresh tears are pouring out onto her cheeks. I cannot respond. My eyes are wide with shock. She loves me? Loves me? Loves me like I love her? Is that possible?
I couldn't be sure that I was actually hearing this from her. Was my life really gone now? Perhaps God had chosen to take me out of my misery. If so, I'd take it. Well, except for the part where the angel was crying. No angel should ever cry like that.
I still feel weak, but I reach to touch her face, brushing past the hair that is so silky soft. Her skin is so warm. She leans into my hand, the tears flowing even harder.
"A..Ang…" I needed to joke with her, to lessen the tension in her eyes. Ino always hated my jokes, she told me they were corny and unnecessary. I agreed with her. But the laughter in her eyes was to precious to me for me to stop.
"Angels… sh…shouldn't…c…cry." Ino's eyes snapped open wide to meet mine. Her free hand clasps my hand, the one on her cheek. She stifles a sob and laughs lightly. Oh how I enjoy that sound.
"Angel huh?" She said. "What did I tell you about these corny jokes…" She faltered, the tears continued to fall. I frown, not wanting to see her tears. She should smile again. "You're completely biased you know." I smile, and for the first time this night, I think it actually is one.
"Please just hang on a little bit longer Choji." She asks me. "I made Sakura promise, no matter what, to find me and you. She's coming as soon as she can. You're going to be okay. We're going to be okay. I promise." I shake my head at her, even through the pain.
"You think I'm lying?" She asks, outraged. I love the sound of her strong voice. "Fine, how about a bet then?" She intrigues my interest, but I can't keep my eyes open. I close them and tighten my hand on her face so she knows I'm listening.
"If we both get out of here, alive, and back in Konoha together, you owe me a lunch date." She doesn't add the other side, if we don't get out of here alive. We both know that there will be no lunch dates then. I relax as I feel suddenly warmer. The blood is drying on my face. I stroke her soft cheek for a moment before forcing my lips to open again.
"I…l..love…you…t…too Ino." She smiles her best smile and her eyes tear over again. This time though, they're happy tears.
"I knew it…" She said, kissing my fist once more. I smiled. Maybe dying wasn't so bad then, if I was seeing my own personal angel before I met God. She clutches my hand tighter and I squeeze my eyes shut a little harder, the pain is coming back now that it is silent.
But through the pain, I hear a sound, almost as sweet as Ino's voice.
Running feet.
I guess Ino won her lunch date.
Hey guys! I don't usually comment at the end of my stories because on Deviantart, where I post these simultaneously, there is a section specifically for me to put the description of this story. I would like to say I have the picture done for this scene, and because of this picture, that I drew out of boredom, this one-shot sprouted. Let me tell you, it was hard. Do me a favor, review it, fav it, or just tell me so, I love you hear from you. Thanks and until next time,
Suzuka.