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Author's Note: Well, it's a one-shot song fic. I know I should be working on the next chapter of You and Me but I got so inspired while listening to the song Another You by Cascada that I just had to write it down.
Disclaimer: I am not Masashi Kishimoto so obviously I don't own Naruto nor am I Cascada so I don't own the song "Another You".
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Another You
/Flashback/
Sasuke had returned to Konoha and Ino was so happy when she found out. She rushed to where he was and the moment she saw him, she ran up to him and hugged him with tears in her eyes. She didn't care if he was going to tell her that she was annoying or what, all that mattered was that he was back.
Sasuke was leaning on an old oak tree with his eyes closed. He looked so peaceful. Ino smiled and walked up to him silently. She took a seat on the other side of the tree and leant on it too. He wasn't asleep, he knew she was there, she always was. Whenever he went to sit under that tree, she would always walk up to him no words spoken. She would just sit there and leave a few moments before he was to leave.
She heard that he was rushed to the hospital the night before so she hurried to check if he was all right. She burst in the room and found Naruto and Sakura inside standing by the bedside with their backs to her. She couldn't see Sasuke from the door so she walked up behind Sakura. When she was a foot from Sakura, Naruto turned and faced her making her able to see Sasuke. Naruto and Sakura both said that they had to go so they bid Ino and Sasuke goodbye and left. Then came silence. Ino sat on the edge of the bed not facing Sasuke and told him that she had been worried. Sasuke looked outside the window and whispered, "I'm sorry."
He was experiencing extreme pain due to the cursed seal. He hadn't had any problems with it in the past 3 years so they all wondered what was causing it to ache now. Tsunade herself was attending to the Uchiha.
Day after day, she visited him. But she noticed that he was gradually growing weaker and weaker. Later, she found out that the cursed seal was destroying him inside.
/End of flashbacks/
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So
many times I was alone I couldn't sleep
You left me drowning in
the tears of memory
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Ino is lying on her bed; tears are streaming down her face. It was already late, very late at night. But she couldn't sleep. Memories kept on flooding her mind making her cry.
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And
ever since you've gone, I've found it hard to breathe
Cause
there was so much that your heart just couldn't see
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She chokes back sobs and turns to lie on her side as she remembered that fateful day.
/Flashback/
She burst in the room right after she heard from Naruto that Sasuke was in critical condition. She found Tsunade trying her best to cancel the cursed seal with Sakura and Shizune by her side assisting her. Sasuke, who was lying on his stomach, was screaming in pain and his body was turning from the cursed seal form to his normal form. Ino rushed to him. But then, the heart monitor began to slow down in its beeping as Sasuke stopped screaming and began to breathe heavily. Ino grabbed his hand, knelt beside him, looked him in the eye with eyes full of worry. Sasuke looked back at her and removed his hand from her grip. He slowly and gently caressed her cheek and smiled and closed his eyes. Then came that horrible beep. That beep that she wished would stop. The tears couldn't be stopped anymore and she sobbed as she held him close. He was gone.
/End/
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A
thousand wasted dreams rolling off my eyes
But time's been healing
me and I say goodbye
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/Flashback/
It wasn't sunny that day. She watched them lower his coffin into the cold ground. She just stood there staring at where he was now. The people had left. She gently placed the bouquet of the flowers that she had prepared just for him before his marker. She turned around to leave and found Shikamaru standing there; looking at her. She walked up to him with her eyes on the ground. When she was right in front of him, he placed a hand on her shoulder. She broke down and sobbed into his shirt as he comforted her.
/End/
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Cause
I can breathe again, dream again
I'll be on the road again
Like
it used to be the other day
Now I feel free again, so
innocent
Cause someone makes me whole again for sure
I'll find
another you
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It was busy at the flower shop that day, good thing that it was about to end 'cause she was tired. She was arranging some flowers in a basket to fill an order and after as she put in the last flower she took a few steps back to look at her work. Satisfied with it, she picked it up and put it on the shelf when the bell rang.
She greeted as she turned around, "Welcome to the Yamanaka Flower Shop. How may I help you –" it was Shikamaru. "Oh, hey Shikamaru. What is it?"
Shikamaru scratched the back of his head and blushed slightly as he asked, "Uhmm, you wanna have dinner?"
Ino stared at him and hesitantly replied, "Uh, sure." She took of her apron and closed the shop. When she had finished doing so, they headed off for dinner.
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Could
you imagine someone else is by my side
I've been afraid he
couldn't keep myself from falling
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It was a pretty cold night so Shikamaru offered his jacket to her. They were silent as they walked. Ino looked up at Shikamaru and thought of how he had been such a good friend to her, how he had always been there for her.
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My
heart was always searching for a place to hide
Could not await the
dawn to bring another day
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// Ino opened her eyes and found herself leaning on a familiar old oak tree. She looked up at it and caressed its trunk when she noticed that someone was leaning on the other side. Her eyes went wide with surprise when she recognized the familiar raven hair and white shirt. She tried to stand up to run to him but she found herself glued to the ground. The young man stood up and began to walk away. That was when she found the strength to stand up and go after him.
"Sasuke! Sasuke! Wait! Please! Don't go! Please! Sasuke!" she cried as she tried to catch up with him but the distance only seemed to grow as she ran. //
Ino woke up with a start and found her face wet with tears. It was only a dream or more like a nightmare. She looked at the clock on her bedside table and found it was 1 in the morning. Reality hit her and she began to cry once again.
She stood up and changed from her pajamas to a shirt and a pair of jeans and sneakers. She tiptoed down the stairs so as not to wake her parents and grabbed her jacket off the coat rack by their front door. With stealth she left the house and locked the front door behind her.
At first she walked slowly but then she broke into a run. She ran and ran and ran. Then, she saw it, the familiar old oak tree. She walked up to it and caressed its trunk and fell to her knees and cried.
About an hour later, she had calmed down and decided to just sit there under that tree.
"Ino?" she heard a familiar voice say. She knew it was Shikamaru. Only he was the one who could have that lazy tone in his voice.
He walked up to her and crouched to get a good look at her and it didn't take him long to know that she had been crying so he sat down beside her.
"It's been a year, Ino. Don't you think it's time for you to move on? Naruto and Sakura have moved on already. What about you?" he said.
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You're
not the only one so hear me when I say
The thoughts of you, they
just fade away
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Ino looked at him and thought, "He's right. I should…move on." She paused for a while and continued thinking, "I know. As long as Shikamaru is here, I'll be able to move on."
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'Cause
I can breathe again, dream again
I'll be on the road again
Like
it used to be the other day
Now I feel free again, so
innocent
Cause someone makes me whole again for sure
I'll find
another you
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Ino sat on a bench drinking some tea. It's the same bench where their genin team used to take a break from training back in the day. Shikamaru suddenly appeared and took a seat right beside her. He ordered some tea as well. As he waited for his order, he handed her a small envelope. She looked at him questioningly but took it and opened it. It was an invitation to the Konoha's Annual Spring Ball. (Shikamaru had bumped into the coordinator and when he was given his invitation, he asked if Ino was invited and offered to give the invitation to her for him.)
"Uh, well… so… Do you… want to go to the ball with me?" he asked nervously.
Ino thought about it and thought of how she had to move on so she said, "I'd be happy to."
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Sometimes
I see you when I close my eyes
You're still a part of my life
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It was the night of the ball. Ino was wearing a beautiful flowing lavender gown. She had her hair up in a bun with a few strands falling around her face. She adjusted her gown and looked around for Shikamaru. She turned around and froze. She thought that she saw Sasuke but when she blinked she realized it was Shikamaru. He walked up to her, took her hand and led her to the ballroom.
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But
I can breathe again, dream again
I'll be on the road again
Like
it used to be the other day
Now I feel free again, so
innocent
Cause someone makes me whole again for sure
I'll find
another you
Oh, I'll find another you
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The ball was great, everybody looked great, and the food was great. She was talking to Sakura when Shikamaru walked up to her and said, "Shall we dance?"
She accepted his offer and the band played a beautiful slow love song. Ino looked up at Shikamaru and realized that he was smiling at her with one of his genuine smiles. After the long agonizing year she had been through, she smiled a genuine smile back at Shikamaru.
She was going to be fine, she knew it. As long as she was with Shikamaru, she was going to be just fine.
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Well, that was it!
What do you think?
Hope you liked it! Hope you enjoyed reading it!
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Thanks!