Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
One-shot: Close the Curtains
It's time I step off the stage.
"Hey Choji," I peer at my teammate to my left as I noisily chew a piece of gum.
Too sweet, too sweet…
"Mm… Yeah?" His hands dive in and out into the black abyss of an opened bag of chips.
For a moment, I forget what I was going to say. Suddenly, and rather impulsively, I break the lazy silence.
"Stop."
"What?" Choji's eyes peer at me, but there's no curiosity, no confusion, no… nothing.
"Stop… eating." That wasn't what I meant to say, but I suppose it's better this way. I only hear a grunt in reply.
I roll my eyes to watch him raise the bag, tilt it slightly, and devour the falling chips. His plump hand raises the now empty bag of chips, and in between chewing his snack and swallowing it, he mutters, "Done."
In a lazy motion, Choji pushes the empty bag towards me.
"What?" It's my turn to ask now.
"Spit it out."
I stare at him more absent-mindedly than confusedly, but then I realize and I spit out my gum.
I catch a flicker of pink disappear into the abyss.
No wonder it was so sweet. It's pink.
"Take it easy, Ino." A plump hand gently pats my shoulder, and I slap it away in immediate retaliation.
"What?!" I snap, and I know Choji doesn't deserve this, but someone's got to take my anger.
"Have some."
There's a new bag of chips pushed towards me, and I grimace in disgust. I glare at him, silently daring him to push further.
And he does. Surprise, surprise.
"Or do you prefer the BBQ flavoured?"
My hand reaches for it, and he smiles at me kindly. I wipe off that smile by squeezing the bag of chips with my bare hand, squeezing until it bursts.
The tiny pop! fills the hospital silence.
I hear a weary sigh and a "You know, Ino…" but his voice is cut off when a door bangs open.
I jump to my feet and almost, almost, demand to know Shikamaru's condition. But it's not the emergency door. It's the entrance door, and look who's here?
My most favourite person on earth: Temari the sand girl.
I shove my hands deep into my pockets in fear that if I don't, I might just accidentally slap the girl.
Take it easy, Ino.
I take a quick, sharp inhalation and regret instantly that I had; the hospital stench will rot me to the core.
"Uh… I didn't know you guys were already here," the ugly-spiky-haired girl begins, and before she continues, I cut her off, "Of course, we're his teammates, after all."
My sarcastic smile is threatening to drop to a grimace. Who else is spiky-haired again?
Oh right, Shikamaru…
"but then again, you guys are couples!" I spit out venomously on impulse again, so I force a very fake smile. Hopefully, she won't notice my rather obvious contempt for her.
"Uh, we're not –" Temari begins, but it's Choji who cuts her off this time, "Sorry about that, Temari-san. Ino's not in the best mood right now, as you can see…"
"Who's not in the best mood?" I half question half yell, loud enough that this time, the emergency door opens so that Sakura could shut me up.
"Ino!" The pink-haired medic steps out quickly, harshly berating me with a whisper, a finger poised at her lips.
"Oh, look who's here," I face Sakura in her white doctor coat. There are heavy dark circles under her eyes, but my short temper gets the better of me.
"It's the pink gum!"
"What?" Sakura responds with a mix of confusion and annoyance. "Ino, I think you better rest…"
"You were too sweet, Sakura! So I just threw you out." I motioned grandly towards a garbage bin. "But even now, I still taste the stupid, sick sweetness!"
I feel a wave of tears about to come crashing down, but the entrance door swings open and I freeze instantly.
Judging by the steps, it's…
"Hey, Sasuke-kun!" I spin around and put on my fake, silly smile again. "Don't you think that our Sakura-chan here is rather… too sweet?"
Behind me, Sakura groans, palm smacks her face, and then reaches out to me…
"…Yeah." To everyone's surprise, Sasuke answers, rather gravely.
I feel a triumphant smile spread over me, until Sasuke continues, "Perhaps that's why…"
He trails off, and a deep silence falls. Everyone strains to listen.
Instead, Sasuke puts up his hand, as if to gesture a stop, and mutters, "Never mind."
I catch a secret shade of red spread on his pale ears.
My heart sinks.
Years have passed since I've fallen out of my stupid crush, but a deeper side of me whispers cringingly, 'He was my first love…'
I sit back down somewhat dejectedly, and I catch Temari's conversation. With who, I wasn't sure, but the mention of Shikamaru certainly piques my interest.
"Just last week, Shikamaru and I had promised to go to Suna, but I hadn't known if he remembered it or not. He had been busy staring at the clouds, or so he later said, but I had almost left without him," Temari chatters away, and I have to stop myself from blurting out, "Oh gosh, I totally understand what you mean!"
Temari and I, we might have been friends.
"Well, that's what he had told me anyway," Temari continues, mostly just to fill the silence. "But then I found later that he had actually been getting some Konoha delicacies, and the line had been too long. Unexpectedly sweet, that guy…"
The heater must be off, for my body instantly chills upon hearing her words.
It's best, after all, that I am not her friend.
"Well, but then there was that time when he –" The stupid sand girl dares to continue, so I ball my hands into fists to keep myself from trembling. Choji stops her halfway, and she seems to be oblivious to the reason why. Upon seeing who Choji is pointing to, she understands and finally shuts up.
My anger continues to boil and I abruptly stand up and excuse myself to the "washroom." I flee from the stinking hospital with the resolve to never return.
Why is everyone I love being taken away from me?
True, I flirt with countless boys, men, hell, anyone of the opposite gender, but… There are a few who I really do care.
Is there really no place for me?
Take it easy, Ino.
I inhale greatly, and I lean on the entrance door, not feeling brave enough to go back in.
A half hour later, I hear the faint sound of a door open, and everyone's cheering – Shikamaru's operation must have been a success – and then the noise dies away again.
I count to ten, and when I feel sure that everyone's gone, I let my tears fall. The cold night air dries the sparkling trail of my tears, and decidedly, I swing open the door and walk inside.
All the seats are empty now, and the stupid, sick hospital stench hits me again.
Better than the sweet smell, I suppose.
I stop abruptly, and blink in confusion upon seeing him sitting there, quietly. I swallow my surprise, and nonchalantly, I walk over to sit beside him.
He shifts his gaze to me, and I realize that my dried tears must be painfully clear, yet all he says is, "Have some."
I stare at a bag of chips pushed towards me. It's BBQ flavoured.
How many bags of chips does he have?
"Hmph," I snort, but I take the snack anyway, as I grumble, "I guess it can't hurt."
My eyes peer sideways to catch the most beautiful smile, and I think, 'I don't deserve this kindness. I don't deserve him.'
'But then again,' I conclude, 'I better act fast this time before someone else snatches him away.'
Notes: I felt like Ino, underneath all her obsession of boys, make-up, fashion, etc, there may be a frustration within her.
Sakura with Sasuke, Temari with Shikamaru... (Not that they are actual couples, but...)