Title- Everlasting Love
Author- RuberDuckiesWhoLikePieAndCake
Rated- K+
Status- Oneshot
RDWLPAC- Thanks, and hope you like it. (I am aware that the title is in no way original.)
Disclaimer- I do not own Naruto, if I did, I would not be writing this, and you would not be reading it.
Everlasting Love…
Ino adjusted her nametag and glanced at the clock, high on the wall. She stood before the counter of her parent's flower shop. She truly hated working these late shifts. She'd much rather be someplace else… The bell on the door rang, interrupting her Ino's thoughts. A girl and a boy came in. They were about the same age—twelve-ish, four years younger than Ino—and were obviously close friends. They were bickering like crazy. Ino sighed, reminded of her own childhood. They began walking up and down the small aisles of the bright flowers. She suppressed giggles as the girl slapped the boy in the back of the head and began a lecture. After a few minutes, they came up to the counter to buy the flowers. Ino smiled at them, sweeter than how she greeted most customers.
"Just these?" she asked, taking their purchase in her hands; three bright yellow daffodils.
"Hai." The girl nodded.
"Are these your favorite?" she asked the girl as she rang them up.
"No," the girl twirled a strand of long hair, "I like roses, it signifies everlasting love."
The boy scowled and rolled his eyes at this. The girl huffed and stomped on his foot.
"Roses are my favorite, too." Ino said, casually, as she carefully tied them in a bouquet with thin string.
"What paper do you want?" she asked, waving her hand at the paper selection up on the counter.
"Black." The boy said.
The girl shook her head, impatiently, "Not black! Pink is prettier, happier, and in every way better!"
"Pink then?" Ino asked,
"Please," the girl said, letting go of the boy's ear.
"How about this?" Ino held up light pink paper with small white and red dots, "I'm not sure why we even have black; for funerals, I guess."
"That's cute, hell yes!" the girl exclaimed, "It's for out sensei's birthday, see."
"She'll love this." Ino smiled as she wrapped the selected paper around the flowers.
The two paid for the flowers and walked out, bickering like before. Ino smiled sadly to herself, knowing that was exactly what she looked like when she was their age. She missed her won best friend more and more with each passing day. Ino blinked tears away, and looked up at the clock again. Her shift had ended two minutes ago. She put away the sting and paper and securely locked the front doors, not before tucking a flower in her pocket.
She began walking briskly. Her destination was not home. She headed toward the very edge of the village. The woods on the other side were dark and shadowed. As soon as the bright blue monument came into sight, Ino couldn't hold back and let silent tears fall. She walked around and found the name on the monument she was looking for. 'Nara Shikamaru.' She began crying harder as she read the name. She recalled the last time she saw him, not even a year ago.
They both sat on a park bench. Birds were chirping and the level of sun and breeze were just perfect, but there was the air of sadness set all over Konoha. Shikamaru was about to leave on an S-rank mission.
"Why do you have to go?" Ino complained.
"I'm an ANBU, it's my job." He told her, for the fifth time that day.
She curled her legs under her and sulked.
"Come on, I have to go now." Shikamaru sighed, pulling her to her feet.
They walked in silence to the village gates, where the rest of Shikamaru's team was already waiting.
"Nara! Over here!" the captain barked.
"Instead of moving, Shikamaru turned to Ino.
"I have to tell you…" he trailed off, looking at his feet.
"Nara!" the captain barked, his tone ever harsher.
"Ino… I…" he stuttered, Ino just trying to make sense of his words.
"Yeah?" she asked, smiling as sweetly as she could, though she never felt less like smiling.
"NARA!"
"I love you," he gushed, and pressed his mouth against hers, gently.
Ino almost died from shock. As soon as she let go of her, he ran over to where his team was waiting and all of them disappeared. Gone.
She didn't get to say she loved him back and Ino fell to the ground sobbing, glad no one else was there to see her cry.
Ino shook these memories off of her as the night sky began to set in. She wiped her eyes, only for the tears to be replaced by new ones.
"I love you." She whispered. And then louder, "I LOVE YOU, SHIKAMARU, WHY DID YOU DIE?" her voice echoed thought the trees.
Ino calmed herself and reached in her pocket to pull out the flower she had put there, before. She pressed it to her lips and set in down beside the monument, under his name. She got up to walk away, knowing that she couldn't bear to look back. As she left, it began to drizzle. Raindrops fell on the monument and on the flower below.
The flower was a rose; the flower of everlasting love.
The end
RDWLPAC- YAY!!! IT'S OVER, PLZ REVIEW!!!!!!
Hope you liked, it. :D