"You can't make me."
She's staring at me with that defiant look that only she is well known for. I suspect that few kuinochi in history have been able to pull it off. She's beautiful—not a rarity among kunichi—but she's well aware of her beauty and uses it to her advantage. She doesn't require a genjutsu to maintain her blonde hair and azure eyes—no, she's all-natural and others must sense it. That's why they always think that she's weak.
I know better. I know my friend (and something more just before I left) better than anyone else. Not even Sakura can claim to know Ino like I do.
I've been watching her since we were born. One day after me she came into the world. I've know every heartbreak, every cut, every blister, every triumph, every win, and every success. I've been there for everything except these last few months. Long-term missions really screw with relationships. I'm happy to see her, even if it's a really bad idea.
"Shikamaru!" She yells at me forcing me to pay attention.
"Ino, it's alright. Just go back to Konoha." I'm trying to placate her.
"I'm not going, Shikamaru. I just found you and there's nothing you can do to make me go. I won't lose you again. Listen to me, and then I'll leave."
"Ino, this is a mission. If I tell you to go then I have a good reason. I can't be compromised."
"Shikamaru, you been gone for two years. Do you realize that? How can you expect me to walk away when you left without a word? No one told me anything! They still won't. Even now that Naruto is Hokage, no one will still tell me anything!"
I admittedly didn't know how long I had been gone. This mission has been difficult. I had no idea that Naruto had succeeded in his dream until last month. I've been extremely behind on the times.
"Ino just go. Now. You're in danger. You can't do this."
"I won't go, Shikamaru. Not until you've explained what the hell is going on. You know how I feel about you."
"I know, Ino. We're shinobi. Sometimes we have to make sacrifices. We do what we have to for the good for the good for the village. For those that we love," I'm trying to explain to her. "Now go, Ino. I don't want to see you hurt."
"Will you be back, Shikamaru?"
"I'll try, Ino. That's all that I can promise." I promised Asuma that I would take care of you, too. And I will.
She reaches forward then, I'm sure that she would touch me if she could.
"Don't, Ino. You know what will happen. You need to go back to your body. This isn't safe."
Her newest technique scares me.
She promised only to use it when absolutely necessary. Here she is searching through souls to find me. She must have been more worried than I thought.
"I thought that you were dead, Shikamaru. I was so scared."
She's crying now. I hate it when she cries. That beautiful face should never be marred by tears. Her face tempts me like she will never know. I want to go back, abandon it all, for her.
"Ino, if I make it back, then we'll talk. Don't do this, please."
She could die. She knows it as well as I do. Letting your soul wander outside your body is incredibly dangerous, even for someone of Ino's caliber.
"I've gotten stronger since you left, Shikamaru. I've had to be."
She's reaching for me again. I back away, but she grabs my jacket. I'm panicking now. She can't be trapped here. I don't know what will happen.
"Ino, don't. Just go."
"Shikamaru, it's fine. You were my anchor for years, but you haven't been for a long time. My soul won't be trapped here. I have someone more important to return to."
My chest tightens at her words. We never talked about what anchored her. We both knew that she had to hold on to another soul when she left her body. I just happened to be the best friend who was always there. I was a convenience.
Every time that she used her technique, I could feel a little pull in my chest, even when we were apart. I came to know that feeling as Ino. It was reminder that she was always there. I hadn't felt it in a long time. I assumed it had dulled over the extreme distance between us.
"Ino . . ."
"You're more than a friend, Shikamaru."
She has gotten stronger. She always said that one day she would be able to read my mind.
"I just know you, Shikamaru. I don't need to hear your thoughts." She pauses for a minute and takes a deep breath. "There are bonds even stronger than lovers and friends, though. "
I don't know what that means. I want to ask.
She smiles, "Think about it, and then come home when you've got it all figured out. Come home to us."
She kisses me then, and I know that I need to stop and think about everything that she's just said, but all that comes to mind is this incredible, familiar, perfect feeling that only being with Ino can inspire.
She whispers, "I love you," and then she's gone.
I have more reason than ever to get home.