'5:00 pm'
' I'm so stupid! Why couldn't I just say I love her? It's too late now, I have to go on the mission in a few min…' Shikamaru's thoughts were interrupted when the phone began to ring. He got up from his bed, picked up the phone, and questioned, " Hello?"
" Shikamaru, we need you right now. We can't wait any longer," the voice had sounded like Tsunade, except instead of sounding like her mellow tone of voice she had sounded scared and worried.
" Tsunade why…" about when he was going to say something, he heard the dial tone on the other end of the phone. He hung up the phone, got dressed, and ran down the stairs and out the door.
As he was running toward Tsunade's office, he still had the thought of him and Ino in his mind. How things probably would of changed if he would of kissed her right then and there. If he would of told her, he loved her. Shikamaru hated himself right now. Shikamaru stopped short when he heard something or someone in the trees. He threw his kunai toward the tree, and nothing happened; he just assumed that there was nothing there and kept walking.
Shing
Shikamaru stopped walking and blood came pouring out of his mouth like a waterfall. He tried to turn around, but the pain was too extreme that he couldn't. He could only see out of the corner of his eye; he saw a muscular man with a sword in his hand. The sword was piercing through his skin. Shikamaru closed his eyes, closed his eyes, and fell to the ground with tears in his eyes. His last word were, "Ino…"
'End''6:00 pm'
Ino was lying on her bed thinking about what had happened two hours ago. She got up and stretched, while she was walking toward her bedroom door, but as soon as she turned the knob her phone started to ring. She sighed and picked the phone.
" Hello?" Ino questioned.
" Ino? It's Chouji," Chouji replied.
" Hey Chouji. What's up?" Ino asked.
" It's Shikamaru…he's…" his words sounded as if they were lodged in his throat.
" Chouji just calm down, now slowly and calmly tell me what happened. What's happened to Shikamaru?"
She heard him clear his throat and then spoke, " Shikamaru…Shikamaru is dead Ino! He's dead!"
Ino dropped the phone and fell to her knees. She started hysterically crying.
" Why!? How could he do this to me?" Ino felt sick, she felt like she was going to throw up!
" Shikamaru…."
'3 days later'
3 days had passed since Shikamaru's death. Today's was his funeral; Ino couldn't bear to see her best friend, the only person she really loved, dead.
Ino took a deep breath as she opened the church doors. She entered the room where Shikamaru's funeral was being held. She saw all his family members, his friends. When she spotted Shikamaru's parents, they were sobbing, and comforting each other.
She walked up to them, and said, " I'm so sorry."
"It's ok… it wasn't your fault. You couldn't do anything to stop. I'm sure that killer will be put in his place." Mrs. Nara told her trying to hide the sniffles and sobs in her throat.
"Wait!" Ino objected. " He was murdered?"
"Yeah you didn't know that? They found a hole in his stomach caused by a samurai sword." Mr. Nara informed her. Ino was speechless, ' how come I wasn't told this…are they trying to keep this a secret from me?' she thought. She stepped away from them and on to Shikamaru's coffin. She approached the coffin; inside the coffin laid the dead, pale Shikamaru. 'He looks so peaceful' she thought. She placed her hand on his cold, pale cheek; she stroked it with her thumb.
" I love you," Ino whispered.
" I love you too," a voice said. Ino shot away, and gasped.
" Shikamaru?" Ino questioned.
" Yes, Ino," Shikamaru said. Ino covered her ears, and started crying. " What's wrong Ino?" he asked again. Ino was in shock; she seemed to attract a lot of attention too. Sakura came over to her and put her hand on her shoulder.
"Ino are you ok?" Sakura asked. Ino couldn't talk, and at that moment Ino was too overwhelmed with fear; she collapsed on the ground, and fainted.
