See Me
Summery:
In truth, Ino never really liked Sasuke, but she feared that if she didn't pretend to Sakura, the person she really liked, would no longer see her, that she would forget. But she doesn't have to worry about that with Temari.
Disc: I don't own Naruto.
Warning:
Sakura bashing, mentioned SaiNaru. Yaoi. Yuri. Mentioned: Neji x Shikamaru
Note: This is during the time-jump.
Onesided:
Naruto x Sakura
Ino x Sakura
Ino's Pov
See Me
Even back than I never knew what people saw in him.
Uchiha Sasuke that is.
He was a stuck up, selfish, self-centered, arrogant, bratty weakling that always ignored the people around him or made fun of them. I never thought of him as anything special, and I never had any reason to become one of his many annoying fan-girls, and I had inwardly thought that I never would become one.
But, that had changed.
It started when I meet a girl, my soon-to-be crush.
Sakura Haruno
She was sweet and shy. Pale pink hair and sea-green eyes. She was almost always blushing and she had a soft quite voice and despite her some-what large forehead, I decided that the rumors weren't all that true. She was defiantly cute. So I decided to become her friend. I helped her move on, drew her out of her shell and soon she was making friends all around her.
I was so proud
But, than, she told me she liked Sasuke-kun
I was scared
The way she said it, she seemed like on of his fan-girls. The ones that only focused on Uchiha and nothing else. The ones that broke friendships so that they could have a better chance at being with him.
I was so scared I couldn't breathe. I didn't know what to do, I didn't want her to leave me behind.
So when she asked me if I liked him to I said yes. Because than she would still look at me, if only to see a rival. But that didn't matter, because I would still exist. So for the next seven years we were 'rivals', or so she thought because my real Rival was none other than Sasuke Uchiha. At first it had been for Sakura's attention and than it had been for her heart.
Or, it had been for a while.
I didn't know when I started to look at her differently, but I did. It was slow at first, but I started to notice how she had changed from when we were little. She was no longer sweet, she screeched at Naruto and smacked him when he was kind to her or challenged the Uchiha. She was crud and respected on one but her 'crush' she was mean, and selfish and I started to wonder were the girl I fell in love with went.
I unconsciously started to distance myself from her after I realized that the girl I fell in love with, my sweet, kind, caring Sakura was dead and in her place was a screeching fan-girl. And now, when I look back I can see that I had been blinded, that she had been that way since the moment our 'friendship' ended.
I was so god damn angry at myself for being like her for being so stupid that I couldn't see what was right in front of me. So angry at her for not seeing me. I didn't know how to handle it, I had spent seven years, since I was eight till I was fifteen, chasing after the image of my one-time love.
But Naruto helped me there. And for that I'm eternally grateful to him.
He had found me sobbing one night, and instead of being hurtful or judgmental he gently took my hand and told me it would be alright, he held me as I sobbed and than he took me home, tucked me in bed and stayed the night.
And he was there in the morning to, there to answer me when I asked him how he took it, how he could stand what Sakura had become. How he had moved on.
'Ino...Love changes people, either for the better or for the worst, and Sakura changed for the worst. Theres no way for me to 'get over it' or for me to handle it, because no matter what I'll always miss my first love, but I don't want to be sad for the rest of my life. Thats how I can move on, because I know the girl I fell in love with is no longer there, and because I know I deserve to be happy. You deserve to be happy to, Ino. You deserve to find someone that makes you as happy as Sai makes me.'
He had smiled sadly as he told me this, his eyes understanding and his smile for me. He smiled so I wouldn't be sad and at that moment, I think I realized what Sakura had been missing out on for so long. And why Sai was so protective of him.
And I think that at that moment I found the strength to move on.
But of course, you had been there to help me, huh Koi? Even though I didn't realize it at the time.
After my realization, I wanted to leave the village for a while, so I had asked Lady Tsunade for a short leave, She had been kind and sent me on a mission to deliver a scroll to Suna, where you were, with permission to stay for three months, it was to show a sign of peace. I would learn one of Suna's techniques and one of Suna's nins would come here to learn one of our techniques.
And thats how I meet you, Temari.
After I delivered the scroll, you invited me to lunch, saying I looked like crap. Not that I had blamed you, three weeks of crying and five days of travel did nothing for my outward appearance. We talked over a plate of sushi, and soon I found myself spilling my heart and soul out to you, telling you of how I was trying my best to get over Sakura. You had smiled in understanding and said that you yourself were getting over a crush of your own, Shikamaru Nara who had just recently announced that he was engaged to Neji Hyuuga.
After that we became fast friends, and after eight days I found out that you were the one chosen to teach me, which made me even happier because that meant I would get to spend more time with you. Our training had been hard and exhausting, but it brought us closer together. And soon, I had found myself in-love with you.
I didn't know whether to be happy I moved on, Or sad because I knew—or I thought I knew—that you would never love me back.
But my mind was changed when, on my last day there, you kissed me. I had been so happy! God I could have died there and I wouldn't have cared! After our kiss you held me and told me the three words I longed to hear from you.
'I love you'
I had cried, I was so happy, and I had practically shouted them back to you. Though you didn't seem to mind because when I said them back your beautiful face lite up and you kissed me again and that night we made love, and promised each other we would find a way to be together. It was only after I came back that I had found out you had filed for a permanent change, to become a Konoha nin. And it had only been eight days before were together again.
And, at that moment, no matter how cheesy this sounds, I knew you would always see me.
The End
Hope you liked it, Review!