Chapter 1:
To be left alone...
To be tossed aside...
Ino buries her face within the small cracks of her pillow, "Do I really have to...?"
Her father nods his head with a sour expression on his face, "We have no choice, unless you could find someone related to some type of royal blood-line...we'll have to send you to Europe."
"Europe..." The word bounces in her mind, "I don't want to go to Europe. I want to stay here...with my friends."
"We all have to grow up some time." said Inoichi, sighing as he places his hand on her shoulder. He soon gets up and walks out of her room, giving her some time.
Ino had scheduled a small reunion with all her friends at Ichiraku ramen bar. It's been a social gathering for all of them and she decided that perhaps, it'll be the best place to say her farewells.
"That's what he said..." Ino tells the group exactly what her father told her and the group hesitates to speak. Sakura bites her lips before talking, but it seems she made up her mind, "I know Sasuke and I are going out, but if you want...we could try and fool your parents that Sasuke and you are going out."
"No..." said Ino, "I appreciate it, but I don't want to get in the way with the two of you. Your relationship is going so well..." Ino pointed that out and Sakura couldn't say another word.
They all drank in silent, ate in silent and relaxed in silent. The only one who isn't there is Naruto, but he usually comes in late anyways.
"Is there no other way..." said Rock-Lee, "Is there no other way to have you with us?"
"I guess not."
"Why do you have to marry into royal blood anyways, doesn't any blood do?"
Ino shakes her head, "My family is special...not in a good way, some of us even consider it to be cursed. We give birth to remarkable shinobi's with great skill, but we cannot do it unless both parents are from a rich heritage. We can't have normal children, it's just not in the genes."
"So you can't have a child unless you find someone with royal blood?" asked Sasuke.
Ino bitterly nods her head, looking downwards at the wooden floor.
"I know someone who has royal blood." Sasuke said.
It catches everyone's attention and they gaze at Sasuke curiously. Sasuke notices his in the spotlight and it catches him off guard. He closes his eyes and speaks more about this mysterious royal blood.
"You might not like him, but considering your choices...he's probably the only one in Konoha besides me."
Ino looks at Sasuke seriously, "Tell me...who is it?"
"You're not going to like it...It's Naruto."
The whole group gasps, turning their attention to Ino who's staring down Sasuke hard, "You can't possibly think me and that goof are a perfect match?"
"I didn't say anything about a perfect match." Sasuke defended himself, "I'm just saying that if you're looking for a guy, he's probably the only one."
"I think you should take it." Sakura mentions, "Naruto might look like a goof, but he's really a reliable guy, even if you don't love him. You could probably convince him to try and fake it."
"Fake it?"
"Yea, you know, pretend he's your boyfriend."
Ino brows slightly cross, "Easy for you to say, it's not like you're he one who has to tell him that. You know how hard it's going to be to explain it to him?"
"Explain what?" speaking of the devil, there he is, standing there at the entrance of the ramen bar. Naruto puts his coat on the coat rack and sits down among the group who stare idly at him, "Explain what? C'mon, I want to know." said Naruto.
"NOTHING!" Ino quickly replies with a shaky smile on her face.
"Really? It can't be nothing, you're freaking blushing Ino so just tell me already. I caught you guys red handed."
"It's nothing I swear." Ino stands up and tries to escape but Naruto grabs her hand, "You're not leaving that easily." The feeling of his hands touching her's already creates a weird warm feeling in Ino's heart. She moves her hand away, but is holding it as well, as if she's actually thinking how it would be to hold hands as...couples.
She looks at everyone who's staring at her weirdly for blushing and wanting to escape. She couldn't handle the pressure and she dodges the gazes by disappearing outside the ramen bar.
Naruto looks puzzlingly at Sasuke who just shrugs his shoulders, "What was that all about?" asked Naruto and Sasuke repeats the same thing he said to Ino, "You're not going to like it..."
Ino is standing by herself, outside the ramen bar as the door opens, but only one person walks out. Naruto is still shocked from what he heard as he stares at Ino, this time, awkward as well, "So you need a boyfriend..."
"I might need one. I don't know, maybe Europe isn't such a bad place."
"You got to be kidding me, Europe is not for you Ino. You belong in Konoha."
It kind of made Ino happy to know Naruto's on her side with the whole 'leaving' thing.
"You really think so?"
"Hey, I'm just concerned for Europe. I don't know what they'll do if they have someone like you." The joke broke the weird wall they built between each other and they both start to laugh, "Yea, I might actually belong in Konoha after all, but are you really fine with having me as your fake girlfriend?"
"Yea, I'm fine with it. The real question is are you fine having me as a boyfriend?"
"Fake boyfriend." Ino corrected Naruto and Naruto just shakes it off, "Alright, fake boyfriend? Wait, what's so wrong with having me as a real boyfriend."
"C'mon Naruto, you can't possibly want me to explain it to you. We're different as night and day."
"Night and day is not so different...they both can be used in the same context, just like how you used it."
Ino begins to laugh, but Naruto's not laughing, "Wait, you can't be serious..." Ino looks at him.
"Yea, I'm serious!"
"Naruto..." Ino holds her breath, "I didn't know...you felt that way."
"Well, maybe I didn't before...but I don't know...I think it's just the idea that got me all pumped up and started giving me ideas, like what if...you know...what if we were actually boyfriend and girlfriend."
"Naruto..." Ino felt her heart beating fast, "You might be right, but how would you explain it to my father?"
"I'll find a way." Naruto simply said.