BETTER THAN YESTERDAY

CHAPTER ONE

CLOVER IN THE FIELD

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto or its characters just borrowing for my story.

LOVE

What is love?

Mankind has asked this question since the beginning of time. Man has failed to understand the concepts of love, how one can feel such, some still feel that's it's impossible.

To others they feel that one should not feel such, as its a sign of weakness and weakness of any kind would not be tolerated.

Other's feel love to be the reason humanity managed to survive for thousands of years on an earth destined with death on every turn.

What ever the answer is, it might be just personal beliefs of it but love in other's cannot be explained just felt, it's a feeling that one feels when he or her connects with one or more beings. What ever the answer is, love is real and has been accepted and denied in nations everywhere. Love is around us but one thing still remains a possibility.

' not everyone is destined for love'.

Or are they?

The day was sunny, summer always brought about such conditions, it couldn't be helped. IT was currently morning, a few minutes after the sun had risen, not everyone was up yet but knowing the village it wouldn't take long before they would and soon the village would be lit by the sound of happy villagers. The village was quiet apart from the songs of the birds. Those guards that were on the night shift were up lifted of the duty as another team came. It had been two years almost three years ago since the shinobi war that took alot of people's lives but people have managed to get through it. Alot have happened since the two to three years, one of them begin that Naruto and hinata are now dating and it seems that Sakura won the battle between her on sasuke, seemed that everyone was moving on with life.

Ino was in the flower shop, tending to some flowers, her mother had just left for a few days to get a bunch of new plants in the land of earth, said to be best of the land, so she was left to take care of the shop, even though she had an assistant, everything just felt too much, with that and more time at the hospital due to injured and those traumatized especially children. She looked at the sweet alyssum, they smelled sweet as usual. Ever since the war, there hadn't been much missions as back in time of war so she had free time to herself. She heard the bell ring that indicated that someone had just entered the shop. She quickly turned and went to see the customer but was surprised to see Naruto looking at some flowers confusedly, ' what is Naruto doing here, but most important what is he doing up this early' ino thought to herself.

He scratched his head from flower to flower, 'dammit' he murmured under his breath everytime he looked at one flower. "hi Naruto, what brings you here, thus early?" She said curtly, but it seemed that Naruto was in his own little world, he didn't respond to her, just kept on looking, "no, not good enough". "ah Naruto is everything okay, you have been looking at those flowers for sometimes now" she said worried for her blond friend, "no am having dinner tonight with hinata and i thought that I would bring her some flower but I cant see one that suits her" Naruto said before groaning in complete frustration. Ino smiled 'ah how cute, his actually trying', "well I have one that you might like" ino said as she looked at the disappointed figure of Naruto who was looking at the ground. "really ino thank you, thank you, your a life saver, your..." Naruto brightened when he heard ino talk, he kept on say things as his face looked like kid with joy about about something.

"okay Naruto, take it easy it's in the back I'll go get it wait here" she said chuckling a bit from Naruto's behaviour. She went into the small in door garden and stared looking for the plant, "where are you, I though..ah-ha found you" she exclaimed as she found the plant close to a red rose plant. She picked it up and took it to Naruto who was walking back and forth.

She smiled at that, "ish take it easy Naruto it's only plant" Ino said, Naruto just ignored ino's voice, "did you find it ino, did you?" He asked, she nodded and showed him the plant, it was a purple plant.

"ah what is that, it looks like a, a, a, what's that?", Naruto said displeased at the plant, ino just sighed and looked at Naruto.

"it's an Amaryllis, it grows in the land of lightening in very conditions. This flower is symbolic of splendid beauty. It is also used to indicate worth beyond beauty." Ino said proudly, been a florist she knows almost all flowers there is and there meaning, it's just in her blood. "huh?" Naruto looked confused, ' leave it Naruto not to understand even a simple meaning' she thought to herself. "you know what never mind, bit if you want something that suits her, this has to be one of the best and plus we're at shortage of some plants, so there isn't a lot to go to" she said, Naruto sighed groaning a bit.

"I guarantee that hinata will love it." Ino said, Naruto smiled and removed money to pay but ino shook her head, "wha..?" Naruto half said to ino, "it's on the house as a gift plus you need the money I hope you're not taking her to ichiraku again cause if I hear you did.." Ino said while Naruto began swearing that he wasn't taking her there while sweating.

After that Naruto thanked ino again, before he left. She smiled at the sight of hinata and Naruto. Everything was changing, including the people around her, it seemed that the only one that wasn't changing was her, it's not that she didn't want to change its just that she didn't want to rush things, she's been through a lot, she just needed time to adjust, but in all truth she doesn't know if she'll recovery from the war, she saw people die both people she cared for and strangers but it didn't matter, the war changed how she looked at things completely, she might hide her pain with smiles but in reality she's hurting and bad. She sighed as she was about to return back to tending to the plants, it seemed that she wasn't going on any mission any time soon, she heard a voice that scared her, "sighing this time of the day, something must be wrong". She turned and found Shikamaru standing close to the door. "Shikamaru, what are, how did you?" Ino asked confused on how Shikamaru was in front of her. He was supposed to be in the land of sand for a month preparing the up coming chunin exams and if she remembers well he left a week ago.

"huh?" Shikamaru looked at ino confused, "aren't you supposed to be in suna right now, you know preparing for the chunin exams?" She asked she close friend, Shikamaru who was standing close to the door. He sighed and went close to her, "yeah, but due to some set backs it had been postponed and I thought I would come back and get some things sorted out before I headed back for suna" he said with his hands behind his head, "what are you doing here anyway, it's barely seven?" She said while busy with the plants, "thought I wound come and get requests from you, since the last time you didn't have a chance" he said lazily resisting the urge to yawn, everytime Shikamaru would go to other villages she would ask him to bring some flowers or herbs that only grow in that region, helped save energy, "'oh' right I almost forgot about that" she said before searching in her pockets for a piece of paper, and when she found it she handed it to him. Her looked at the list, then at her, "you want me to bring you back these" he said unbelievably, she nodded while smiling smuggling, "it's revenge for not saying that you were leaving last time", Shikamaru just groaned at that and pocketed the paper, "troublesome women" he said.

He glanced at ino who was smiling lightly while directing him to the back garden, she went on to tend for the other plants she didn't, while still smiling but that smile no matter how bright it might have been was fake.

He sighed and looked at ino seriously, "okay what's the problem?" He asked, ino who was tending to a rose bush stopped, she turned her head lightily and looked at Shikamaru confused. "I know that look" he said plainly, "what look?" She asked as innocently as possible, "that look, the look you get when some thing is bothering you, now spill it" he said, she turned her body fully to Shikamaru now her face looking a cross of embarrassed and pissed.

"nothing gets passed you, does it Shikamaru", Shikamaru just nodded, before sighing "it's not your fault, it couldn't be helped ino, blaming your self isn't going to take you anyway, it's useless" He tried. "okay Shikamaru, what do you want me to do, keep on pretending like everything is okay when it isn't, I have tried but I can't help think because am not strong those close to me keep on dying, it's just... it's not important anyway, now you go do your stuff or business or whatever you want to call it okay" she said while pushing Shikamaru out of the flower shop.

Out side was choji who just arrived, "'oh hi ino, huh?" He looked confused as she saw ino push Shikamaru out of the shop, "hey what are you doing..?" Shikamaru tried to get out of the girls grip but she was holding him pretty tight.

"hi choji" she said before letting go of Shikamaru outside of the flower shop, "bye choji" she said after that quickly getting inside the shop, with choji looking at Shikamaru and the shop door confused.

He was about to ask what was wrong when Shikamaru cut him short, "don't ask, lets just let her be for now" Shikamaru said putting his hands in the pocket before leaving to attend to other things, choji just shrugged and followed Shikamaru.

Ino who was looking through the small window of the shop saw the two go before she sighed, it was getting harder and harder for her to lie to them but in all honestly she was lying to herself that nothing was wrong. "nothings wrong" she said before going to finish on tending the plants after that she decided to get some fresh air, it always helped her think. She wasn't in the mood to see anyone not today at least, she planned on maybe being active the next day. So she decided to go to the training grounds, it always helped her think better, why she's not entirely sure, she remembered that she had a secret spot where she would go and just sit and relax from away from life, annoying Sakura and others. She arrived at the training grounds, she smiled as it brought back good memories. She quickly went to the spot, that was beyond some stream that passed through all training grounds, a genjutsu maybe because the stream has no beginning or end. When she arrived she was panting, "I don't remember this place being so far" she said to herself and seconds later sat down sighing heavily, this place brought memories indeed, it felt nostalgic. "I haven't being here for a long time" she said to Nobody, she looked around the area, it wasn't a small area probably as big as a bedroom or so, she found her old stuff on the ground, some old paper about the chunin exams and done other junk.

She laid her back, on to some grass and gazed into the sky, it was beautiful. The sky wasn't clear but the clouds made thinking better, no wonder the Nara liked cloud watching helps to remove some worries and thoughts but out seemed that the clouds watching was making her eyes shut down slowly ave Before she even knew it she was asleep.

Darkness, an empty abyss. Everywhere she turned but nothing no wall, no floor and no light . She tried running but that attempt was futile, led her to no where. Her fear was increasing every passing second, and with each passing second the more she didn't know what to do, the more she felt helpless. She knelt down when she tried everything.

"ino" she heard in the distance, she tried to look for the origin of the voice but nothing just darkness. "ino" she heard again, this time she stood up, "whose, whose that?" She tried to ask but the voice continued, "ino" the voice whispered.

She didn't know what it meant but she felt pulled to the voice, she followed the voice. "hello, where are you?" She tried to ask but adj she heard was "ino" "ino come closer" the voice got stronger the more she followed the voice, soon she saw a small light ahead, she quickly turned towards the intensifying light til she was in an area.

The light was blinding but she was adjusting, she heard the voice again, "ino come closer" this time the voice sounded strained, ino's eyes widened when she recognised the voice. After her eyes adjusted, she found her self on top of a building but that didn't matter what mortified her was the fact that she was telling the moment that asuma died.

She looked at her passed self as she tried to heal her sensei but to no success, then out of nowhere they all turned to look at her, she was stunned by that, "you" asuma said lowly, "are a failure" he said his voice cold and filed with venom. ino's eyes widened at what asuma was saying, "you failed to heal me and left kurenai and my daughter to be alone you could have stopped this but still you caused all this" asuma said, as he began to get up, "I...-i tried sensei but...-" she tried but couldn't talk clearly, "but nothing ino, if you were stronger then maybe you would have saved me" asuma shouted, "his right ino" Shikamaru said his eyes filled with hate, and his voice filled with even more hate. Resentment and venom than asuma. she was shocked at what her friend, comrade was saying, "what, you..you too Shikamaru" she said her voice hoarse, "for your unforgivable sin, you will live and see me as a result a constant reminder of your failures, today, tomorrow and forever till you come and face me personally in the after life" asuma said before removing a kunai.

She looked at it with shock, then looked at her sensei who in turn looked at her before smiling sadistically then stabbing himself in the chest. She was mortified at what she was looking at, then she felt her hands wet, she looked at them and was horrified to see blood on them, she turned to look at her comrades only to find that they are all dead, ino took a step back holding her mouth, she rushed to them and tried healing them but to avail. "no" she muttered, "no. No, no no no no no NO" she cried as she knelt down tears streaming down her face.

She jolted up awake, her breathing shallow, her temperature high, "beauty are you okay?" Sai asked as he knelt down next to her, she looked confused at him, she looked around and found that she was still in the training grounds. She sighed wiping some sweat and tears that were on her face.

"beauty drink this, it'll help you feel better" Sai said as he handed ino a bottle of water, "huh? Sai, how.. What are you doing here?" She said her voice cracking a bit. "I usually come here to draw the sun set, I found this place to have been the best shot and thought this tree had the best angle for that but it seems I found you here too, screaming" he said plainly, ino looked the other direction blushing lightly, "I wasn't screaming" she said lightly before accepting the bottle and drinking the liquid fast, relishing the feeling of the cold liquid passing through her now sore throat.

"thanks, I needed that" she said as she wiped the drops of water that went to her chin. She laid down again onto the ground. It was almost sunset.

"what did you fail?" Sai asked plainly a few minutes after silence, she looked at him but didn't answer. "when you were asleep, you kept on saying that you failed, what did you fail" he continued but still no response. Ino just looked at the ground.

"nothing Sai, it was just dream" she lied but it seemed that the pale skinned shinobi wasn't buying it, "I once read in a book that said that dreams sometimes tell us something about ourselves, that they show us hidden secrets, important messages from the after life that someone needed to tell you and sometimes they help us in times of darkness. what did your dream tell you about yourself?" He asked,

"That am a failure" ino said lowly under her breath, she wiped some tears that were due to the nightmare.

"in what way?" He asked innocently, "you said that you are failure, what did you fail to accomplish" he said plainly while walking at her. Ino bowed her head, remembering the dream she had. "beauty to be honest, I don't think your failure, you have accomplished plenty of things that no shinobi could achieve, you are.." Sai said before he was stopped by ino shouting at him, which made him flinch abit.

"I failed to save those dear to me, I failed to protect them Sai, I failed to gain the love sasuke and I am not even stronger than Sakura, don't you get it am not, strong enough to save and keep those close to me" she said the first part loudly but her voice kept on reducing.

"I remember you have lost both a parent and sensei, and that sasuke had accepted Sakura and I don't know how it feels to lose such people but I wouldn't say am a failure" Sai said, before chuckling, which made ino look at him, "I think what would make me a failure would be my inability to for fill my promise to them, cause not only am I failing them, am also failing my self, you have something special beauty, a mission only you can complete, unlike me. So what you beauty a failure or are you ino Yamanaka" Sai said smiling brightly.

Ino looked at Sai surprised, she smiled at him softly, whole blushing lightly. "thanks" she said suddenly, which caught Sai of guard, he nodded before getting up from a sitted position.

"I have to go, have some business to attend to" he said, with ino nodding, seconds later he was gone. She smiled at the thought of the advice he gave her, before realising that he left his sketch book. "huh? Sai must have forgotten it. She picked it up and was about to look into the book before stopping her self, she remembered Sakura saying something about Sai being protective of his sketch books, so she decided to respect that and headed for home.

As soon as she reached home , she quickly went into her bedroom, and sat onto her bed, putting the sketch book onto her bed that sat next to her window. She went and took a bath. When she returned she found the book pages had turned, she sighed "probably should have closed the window before taking a bath" she said to herself while closing the window, she was about to go and get some fresh clothes when she noticed a picture from Sai's sketch book. She lifted her eyebrow and went to look at the picture.

The picture had her smiling brightly, next to a lazy looking Shikamaru and eating choji, and the name of the picture was the 'beauty of the clover in the field.' The image had her highlighted, she blushed at the photo, 'did Sai draw this', she looked beautiful and alive like back in her genin days.

She smiled at the photo, then remembered Sai's words, she looked at a photo of her back in her genin days, with asuma and them to one of with her and her father.

"No more failing, I dint want to fail anymore, I'll be strong if I have to no matter what, to protect those who I love. I'll do anything" she said as she looked at the pictures.

"And that's a promise" she exclaimed.

At the Nara compound, Shikamaru was currently in some paper work for the chunin, his mother brought him some food, which he gladly accepted, his mother was about to go when she heard him chuckle.

"everything okay shika?" She asked, he responded with a nod, "everything is just fine mom" he said while smiling, "everything is just fine"

A/N: OKAY THIS IS MY NEW STORY, FOCUSES ON INO AS A CHARACTER AND A BIT OF SAI BUT MOSTLY INO, TAKES PLACE A FEW MONTHS AFTER LAST. THANK YOU FOR READING HOPE YOU LIKED THE FIRST CHAPTER. FAVOURITE, REVIEW AND FOLLOW.

D.A.X