It's Too Late
DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Naruto series, Konoha, Shikamaru, Ino, or anyone else involved or relating to Naruto.
Summary:
Ino Yamanaka is loud and annoying member of Team 10; which annoyed a certain lazy chunin to no end. But when the death of the Yamanaka's parents forces her to live with the Naras, and changes Ino's personality. There is no one he wanted more then that exact loud and annoying member.
ShikaIno
Okay. This is my first attempt at a more angst type of a story, I'm really not sure how I'm gonna manage this; I've got a few things I can do that I've got in my head but angst is so hard to achieve now I think about doing more chapters… But we'll see where it goes.
The people who read my earlier ShikaIno story will know this was coming for a week or maybe longer… I've been saying Angssssst for awhile so yeah XD…
Enjoy.
Chapter 1: Goodbye Yamanakas
The Konoha beauty sat staring at the sun setting over the trees, the wind blowing through her hair, normally restrained by purple elastic, her blue eyes sparkled as she watched it. She sat atop a brick wall, one of the higher locations in Konoha watching the natural splendor.
"Ino?"
Ino turned her head back to her companion, sitting next to her was a girl her age, around sixteen, her emerald eyes set on her friend. Her pink hair pulled back by a ribbon, the girl had her eyebrows furrowed at the blonde shinobi.
"Are you still angry with them?" The pink haired girl asked obviously determined.
Ino smiled at the girl before shaking her head. "No… I guess not."
The pink haired girl let out a sigh of relief. "That's good… they'll be back tomorrow, right?"
Ino nodded, then jumping from brick wall to the pathway below them, looking up and grinning at her friend. "Come on Sakura!" She called out waving frantically.
Sakura obliged dropping from the wall to the pavement next to Ino, then smiling.
"So where are we going now?" Sakura asked as Ino pulled her along.
Ino glanced back, a grin on her face. "I'm hungry. We might as well go get dinner now, ne?"
The blonde turned her attention back to the path in front of her, her eyes set straight ahead of her, people passing them as the two walked. It was peak hour for Konoha, everyone was heading home to their families.
Ino pushed past people, Sakura apologizing as the two made their way through the crowd, nothing much had changed since their childhood, really. Ino was always the brash one; while Sakura would try to compensate for Ino's brashness with more level headed thinking, basically. Sakura was just much more conservative in comparison to Ino.
The two arrived at the local restaurant, Asuma often used to treat Team 10 to meals there, so it was generally pretty cheap. Ino pushed through to the front of the line with a smile as the man at the counter nodded at her, he knew her. He wasn't going to say anything, even if she had just knocked past three customers.
Ino smiled. "Sakura, what do you want. My treat" She said as she looked over at Sakura who was looking at the menu up and down displayed.
Sakura nodded then deciding on something. "Are you sure, Ino?" She asked as Ino nodded with a grin.
Sakura nodded. "Okay, I'll have the char-grilled steak, a salad and a side of chips."
Ino's mouth deadpanned as she frowned. "What are you doing!? Trying to send me into debt, Sakura!?" She screamed loudly.
Sakura frowned. "I told you I'm willing to pay!!" She protested.
Ino laughed waving her hand at Sakura. "I was kidding, Yeesh…" She turned back to the man who was still smiling at her, Ino then deciding what she would have. "A potato croquet, with a salad and cherry tomatoes, please." She said with a smile, as the man nodded.
"The usual then" He said with a laugh as he wrote it down, then passing it through a passage in the wall to the kitchen in the back.
Ino and Sakura walked to a booth, which was occupied by a familiar two, Ino's eyes flashed as a grin game to her face.
"Are you two on a date, or something?" She teased as she looked at the pair.
The two were her teammates, Shikamaru Nara; the lazy genius and extremely strong ninja, and Choji Akimichi, the kind hearted chubby teen.
Ino laughed putting her hand in front of her mouth as Sakura shook her head at her friend, then looking back at the two. "So, you two are getting dinner too, no?"
Choji nodded with a grin on his face. "Three steaks are already on there way!"
Shikamaru gave a look of disdain at Ino, the way she just kept pushing her luck was amazing; it was like she wanted to annoy her friends, and without fail she added to it.
"Good. We'll eat with you. Right, Sakura?" Ino said as she sat next to Shikamaru, who gave a look at her again.
"Troublesome…" Shikamaru muttered as he grabbed a fork and stabbed into one of the potato croquets on his plate.
Sakura smiled sheepishly as Choji brushed the seat next to him. "You can sit".
Sakura then obviously looked more comfortable, she didn't want to impose, unlike the blonde across from her who didn't even seem to know the meaning of impose.
"Ooh!" Ino squealed as she grabbed Shikamaru's fork and ate a piece of his potato croquet. "I love these."
Shikamaru's face deadpanned and he sighed. "Yeah… So do I" He commented as Ino began to continue eating his potato croquet.
Sakura bit her lip; she opened her mouth to say something then shook her head. When it was talking to Ino, she had to word it exactly right or she would get yelled at back, accompanied by a few insults. "Are you sure, Shikamaru didn't want to eat that, Ino?" She hinted looking at Shikamaru who was staring at the potato croquet slowly being devoured.
Ino stabbed the fork into the potato croquet and looked at Sakura blankly. "What… do you mean, Sakura?"
Sakura sighed then shaking her head at Ino.
Ino looked confused. "Oh. Here Shikamaru." She said as she got a piece and put the fork in front of his mouth. "Open wide" She sung cheerily.
Shikamaru's general frown deepened. "No, Ino."
Ino smiled cheekily. "Open your mouth or I will shove a fist down your throat"
Shikamaru shook his head. "Your so tro--" he began as the fork when into his mouth quickly, precision timing and aiming. Ino had to admit. She did it well, he sighed before chewing it in his mouth as Ino pulled out the fork with a triumphant smile.
Sakura and Choji's face deadpanned, their mouths wide open with shock as Shikamaru glared at the blonde sitting next to him as she had a grin on her face, a man walked over to the group placing a plate with Sakura and Ino's orders onto the table.
"A Char-grilled steak, salad and chips for the bubblegum haired pretty" The man said nicely as he slid the plate over to Sakura who smiled back at him, she could get used to being called a 'bubblegum haired pretty'.
On the other side of the table, the man slid the plate towards Ino. "And for the blonde haired beauty" The man said as Ino nodded with a proud grin on her face as she chose her utensil from a small cylinder in the middle of the table, carrying forks, knives and chop sticks.
Ino opted for the chop sticks as she ineptly tried to control them trying to pick up her potato croquet, breaking the one croquet at each attempt.
Ino glared furiously at her chopsticks before letting out a frustrated scream. "Work damnit!!"
Sakura looked up from eating her dish, her knife halfway into her steak, a small amount of barbeque sauce by it's side, as Choji who was also eating a steak mouth gapped, a small bit of chewed steak falling onto the table.
"Nice Choji…" The dark haired teenager commented looking at the chewed steak, then glancing over at Ino, Shikamaru sighed as he moved his tanned hand towards Ino, placing his hand over her hand, molding her hand to correctly hold the chopsticks.
"Now…" Shikamaru instructed, his dark eyes set on her; as she glanced over- her blue sparkling eyes meeting his. "You just have to push down for them to close, and slowly release to let it go…" He finished as he pulled his hand back, then stretching back looking at the roof for a moment then glancing back to his plate, then grabbing his chop sticks and shoving the last of his potato croquet into his mouth.
Ino looked over at the Nara appreciatively. "Thank you, Shikamaru" She said cheerily as she ate her first piece of croquet not breaking it this time.
The four ate happily, a conversation flowing smoothly varying from stories in which Shikamaru had done something extremely stupid despite his 'genius' status to Naruto's blunders in missions, the way he appeared back when they were ten in front of Zabuza and Haku with a puff of smoke, and yelling about how he had entered the battle arose naturally.
The four continued talking till late at night, in which they eventually opted to walk home in the dark together; before parting directions in the way they walked home.
Choji, turning the left, leaving Sakura, Shikamaru and Ino to walk up the street the three lived in.
The blonde, and pink haired females talked while the bored Shikamaru dawdled, taking his time. He was in no hurry, although the bossy blonde had other ideas, she glanced back often during her conversation with Sakura and when a break in their conversation she bit.
"Shikamaru! Pick up the pace, or you will get left behind!" Ino scolded shaking her head at him, as if she was the elder and wiser of the two.
Shikamaru furrowed his eyebrows as he walked past the blonde. "Troublesome…" he muttered as the blonde heard the remark.
"Excu--" Ino yelled before coughing, her blue eyes widened and falling to her knees.
Shikamaru and Sakura glanced back, both slightly ahead of her as they watched her on her knees then falling onto the ground completely, Shikamaru and Sakura running over.
Sakura frowned as she felt Ino's pulse instinctively as Shikamaru sat her up and leaned her on him.
Sakura frowned. "She's alive…Maybe she tried using her jutsu?" she asked confused.
Shikamaru frowned as he looked at Ino. "It's… possible…" He said slowly, Ino was not exactly known for her maturity, occasionally mind transferring her friends to tease them and put them in interesting situations, interesting, and embarrassing; leaving the two childhood friends next to her with extremely interesting stories.
Ino's eyes opened as she had tears in them. "I…" She said softly as the two looked at her worried.
Sakura bent closer to Ino as Shikamaru furrowed his eyebrows in concentration attempting to listen in on Ino better.
The blonde breathed sharply, then relaxing as she closed her eyes, breathing deeply.
Her teammate bit his lip as he watched her. "Ino." He said strongly. "What happened?"
Ino slowly opened her eyes, as she looked up at him, and then to Sakura, her eyes were darting around quickly, she looked confused, worried and most of all scared. "I-I-I… I don't… know what happened, I felt like someone stabbed me in the chest, or something… so many times… then I just… I just saw Sakura and you… and then black dots and then… black…and then … I don't know… I was still awake, I just couldn't… move, do anything… it was… it was too painful…" She said softly as she sat up putting her hand to her forehead, Sakura slapped her hand and put her own hand on Ino's forehead, getting a glare from the blonde; who was returning to her normal personality.
Sakura frowned. "Your temperature is fine. Your breathing is fine… maybe… I don't know… maybe you just had reaction to the food??" She commented as her best friend slowly stood up on her own, Shikamaru behind her to steady her whenever needed.
The Hokage apprentice focused on Ino as she stood up, then smiling at Shikamaru, and then glancing at Sakura. "Thank you both…"
Ino nodded appreciatively at both of them, as she began to walk ahead of the two, both startled and staring at the blonde, they exchanged a glance, Shikamaru still frowning as Sakura looked worried.
The Medical Nin ran over to Ino and looked at her intently. "Are… you sure you feel okay now, Ino?" Sakura asked focusing on the blue glistening eyes of the Yamanaka.
Ino glanced over and smiled, before nodding. "I feel absolutely fine… It was just a dizzy spin I suppose." She said briefly before continuing to walk.
Sakura looked back at Shikamaru, waiting for him to catch up to her. "You think she's fine?" The pink haired girl asked.
Shikamaru nodded. "It could have been anything; it's nothing to be worried about if it doesn't continue to happen, no?" He commented.
Sakura agreeing with Shikamaru's logic, then hearing the blonde she had been worrying about yell at them.
"Catch up! Your not trying to ditch me or something are you!?"
Shikamaru dawdled up to her, Sakura running up.
Ino glared at Shikamaru hitting him over the head. "Hurry up next time!" She yelled as Shikamaru frowned. "Troublesome woman"
Ino flicked her long blonde hair. "Better then whatever you would classify yourself."
Shikamaru soon parted with the two, passing by the Nara residence, Sakura then turning up another street to her house, Ino then arriving at her home.
Ino walked through the house, taking off her small shoes and leaving them at the tiled entrance, she walked across the wooden floorboards towards the steps, walking up them… breaking the silence in the Yamanaka Residence.
Ino after watching television for an hour or two decided she would have a shower, the blonde brushing through her hair before stepping under the warmth of the water, steam filled the bathroom as she stood under the wonderful sensation of the water trickling down her body, the way it heated her up instantly was almost a miracle, that was the strange thing about Konoha. The days were generally a comfortable temperature, the nights however got quite cold.
Ino eventually persuaded herself to get out of the shower, drying herself off on her pale pink towel, walking to her bedroom a towel wrapped around herself as her hair still dripped; she slipped on her pastel purple nightdress, the blonde heard a few knocks.
The Yamanaka walked down the stairs as frantic knocking began; at first she expected Shikamaru but now she didn't know who to expect.
Ino opened the door; a forced smile on her face, meeting a dark haired woman, next to her; the lazy chunin she expected in the first place.
"Shizune?" Ino asked as the woman nodded. "Hurry, Lady Tsunade has called for you urgently."
Ino blinked. "I guess I'll go get changed?" She asked, simply getting a frown from the woman.
"Hurry" Shizune said as Ino ran upstairs, quickly slipping on her ninja-gear. A purple button up top, and a skirt, and mesh arm bands and leg bands, she ran down holding a purple elastic and pushed it into her hair as she closed the door behind her Shizune nodded, Ino locked the door and the three set out.
The blonde glanced at Shikamaru. "I only saw you three hours ago, Shikamaru. Are you stalking me?" Ino teased receiving a glare from the chunin.
Shizune walked extremely fast while the two dawdled, Shizune turned to the two. "Hurry!" She yelled as she continued to walk at an extremely fast pace.
Ino's glared at the woman. "Such a panicky lady, that one…. So do you know what this is about Shikamaru?"
Shikamaru's dark eyes set on Ino, as he shook his head pushing his hands into his pockets. "No idea."
Ino frowned as she walked closer to her teammate. "Maybe it's a mission for us?" She whispered as Shikamaru shrugged.
Ino sighed as she walked along side Shikamaru.
Shikamaru glanced at Ino. "I just had got home, and few hours later Shizune showed up… she was looking for you and said you weren't at home…"
Ino frowned. "I was likely to be in the shower."
Shikamaru shrugged as Shizune turned around and scolded the two and hurried them up again, the two this time obliging grudgingly.
Ino stood alone in front of a desk where Tsunade sat, Shizune by her side; Tsunade's hands clasped on top of one another, her chin delicately leaning on her hands as she watched the Yamanaka intently.
Tsunade sighed softly as Ino frowned. "Is there a mission for me?" The young blonde asked.
Tsunade stared sternly at the girl standing in front of her. "We received word that a small village on the outskirts of the Land of the Waves was slaughtered."
Ino nodded a frown of concentration on her face. "And you wish for me to check it out… Me and Shikamaru… Why isn't Shikamaru in here?" She asked as she glanced around the room.
Tsunade shook her head and sat up. "This isn't a mission. We received word among those slaughtered, were Inoichi Yamanaka and Nadeshiko Yamanaka." The Hokage explained as she watched the blonde's face stare blankly.
Ino's blue eyes widened as she stared, lost and confused. "…What?"
Tsunade sighed. "Your parents died, the slaughter was over in a matter of minutes, the only ninja was your father, Your mother and father died, kunai were launched towards their chest, multiple kunai. I'm sorry Ino."
Dead dead dead! '-'. I made myself sad at my own comment XD;;…
But this chapter was just setting it all up, I hope someone picks up on something… If I explain or hint what moment it was it'll be extremely obvious, as opposed to obvious XD…
Anyways. I changed my writing style from my last ShikaIno fanfic, I feel that more description and decent dialogue looks better and gets the point across; I just have to come up with more ways to describe Ino, the blonde, The Yamanaka and Ino XD;;; But that's all she is '-'…I was so tempted to call this chapter, Yamanaka Clan Party of 1… XD But I restrained myself.
If you enjoyed this, please ensure to review -. Thanks a lot for reading.
-Sean