Chapter 1

"Why?" She whispered. A tear rolled down the pale girls face. She shivered as the memory of the previous night haunted her mind. Ino Yamanaka, the loud mouthed upbeat girl was, for the first time crying. Sakura walked in with a blanket and a cup of cocoa for Ino. The girls head turned and she looked out of the dusty window. The sun was rising slowly, she could not believe that it had been only 5 hours ago at midnight when she had said her last goodbye to the man she knew that she would never see again.

"Ino are you going to be OK?" Sakura asked handing Ino a tissue. Ino didn't take it she just kept staring out of the window.

"Ino?" Ino's head slowly turned to face her friend. Her mascara was run down her face and her eyes were bloodshot.

"Sakura, I just lost the only person I've ever loved. Do you really think I'm OK?" Sakura stood up and made her way to the door of her friends apartment. She opened the door to leave and the last thing she heard as she left was her friends sobbing, she turned and left. As she did she felt a tear rolling down her own face. Ino may had lost the man she loved, but so had she.

Ino woke up a few hours later in the chair she had been sitting in the night before. The memory's of Shikamaru came back to her again. The only escape she had had from it was in her sleep. She was about to close her eyes again and go back to sleep but she got a nauseous feeling in her stomach. She leaped out of the chair and rushed to the bathroom.

She vomited. What could have caused that she asked herself. She got a drink and just put it down as lack of food. She hadn't eaten since yesterday afternoon. Tears started to flow again.

FLASHBACK! - yesterday 9:30am

Ino was walking down the streets of Konoha heading to Tsunade the Hokages office to find out the latest mission details. They were due to leave for Suna later that day and Ino needed to know who she was going with and what time she was leaving. on the way to Tsunade's office she bumped in to Chouji her team mate.

"Hey Ino"

"Hi Chouji"

"me and Shikamaru are going to the BBQ place later do you want to meet us there before your mission?"

"Sure Chouji I'd love to" Chouji smiled at the blond and They bid farewell. Ino started to run towards the Hokage's office so that she could get in and out in time to meet her two team mates Shikamaru and Chouji and have something to eat before she left for her mission.

She arrived at the Hokage's office in plenty of time, at least 10 minutes early. The Hokage's assistant Shizune greeted her and Went to tell Tsunade that she had arrived.

"Come In Ino" Ino got off of the leather chair in the waiting room and walked in to the Hokages office.

"Here are your mission details" Ino picked up the folder on the desk labelled 'mission 348'

"your team mates on this mission will be Nara Shikamaru, Haruno Sakura and Hyuuga Neji" Ino smiled. She hadn't been on a mission with Shikamaru for 3 years, since they were both genin's.

"this is a spying mission in the land of the wave. You will infiltrate the listed peoples body's with your jutsu and find out as much data as you can. You may go and get ready."

Ino ran to the BBQ shop and sat down at team 10's usual table. She saw the lazy chuunin walk in closely followed by Chouji and Kurenai. Since Asuma had dyed Kurenai had been helping Shikamaru, Chouji and Ino with there training until they could find a new team leader for the 3 of them.

"Well I hear you two have a mission together. It's a spying mission so I can't really come. Spying isn't my speciality." Chouji smiled and went to order his food.

"even if Chouji was coming then it still wouldn't be the whole of team ten." Shikamaru and Ino said nothing more they just stared at the table. Ino only looked up when she realised Kurenai was crying.

"congratulations Shikamaru. You know exactly what to say to someone who has lost someone precious to them." Ino comforted Kurenai and told her everything would be aright and not to worry because she always could rely on her to talk to whenever she needed it. Little did she know later that day it would be her that needed comforting.

END FLASHBCK

She lifted her head from the toilet bole and walked in to the kitchen. The shelves were almost all empty but she found an egg and some bread. She finished cooking and took the food to the counter. For 5 minutes she just stared at unable to lift her fork, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She could get through this she new she could. Despite the judgement of others she was strong. She had moved out of her parents house on her own. She had been the one who helped rescue Sakura. She was strong, she could get through this. At least she hoped she could. She picked up a piece of bread and scraped a little scrambled egg on to it and ate it. Within a few minutes she had ate everything off of the plate.

She washed up the plate and fork, She picked up her coat and pulled it on.

"I should go apologise to sakura she was only trying to help me." She locked the door and made her way to the Pink haired ninjas house. She knocked on the door, no answer, she knocked again. Still nothing.

"well since I'm in the area I may as well go and visit Shika..." she fell to the floor. Tears started to fall down her pale face again. She heard footsteps but took no notice of them, she just kept crying. The footsteps got faster and nearer, she felt someone drop down beside her and put there are around her shoulders.

"It's going to be OK Ino. Don't worry you'll get through this."

"Sa...Sa...Ku..KuRa?

"Yes I'm here. You have nothing to worry about. Calm down." Sakura rubbed Ino's back to try and make her feel better.

"come on. I'll walk you home." She lifted Ino on to her feet and put her arm around her waist.

Ino burst in to tears again as they walked in fount of Shikamaru's old apartment.

"Why Sakura, Why did this happen. I should have been the one who dyed. Not him, He was just protecting me. I SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE ONE TO DYE!!!" Ino felt something hart hit her cheek.

"DON'T EVER SAY ANYTHING LIKE THAT AGAIN YOU HEAR ME!. WHATS DONE IS DONE YOU CAN'T CHANGE THE PAST" Ino turned her head away and nodded in agreement.

"I'm sorry Sakura. I just really miss him." they continued walking until they reached Ino's apartment.

"do you want me to stay for a while? I can make you something to eat."

"no thanks I'm not hun..." She stopped talking Not again she thought to herself. She was sick again.

"Ino are you OK?" she didn't reply, no she couldn't reply. She was too busy throwing up the remains of her breakfast. When she was done she stood up straight. Sakura opened her bag. She was looking for something. She pulled out a package it was rapped up in brown paper so that Ino couldn't see what was inside.

"use this." Ino went to unwrap it.

"No not now unwrap it when you get in." Ino was studying the brown package.

"aren't you even going to tell me what it is?" Sakura didn't hear her, she was already walking home. Ino unlocked the door to her apartment and threw her coat on the sofa. She ran to the lounge and unwrapped the brown package. Her face dropped.

What could be in the mysterious Brown paper that made me end the chapter so soon. The next chapter will be longer I promise I just wanted to create suspense :P. Reviewers get a cookie :D