Chapter 3: Bittersweet

Just want to thank everyone who's been sending me these lovely reviews thus far, you guys are amazing and your kind words really help me with my writing, it's inspiring! Big thanks!


-X-

Ino closed her eyes and let the sun and the chilly breeze embrace her as she leaned back in her chair and listened to Sakura chatting next to her. They were located at a random, sunny outdoor dining place. Unexpectedly, something she said came to Ino's attention.

"…and guess what, I found these wonderful flowers outside of my door yesterday! They didn't have any note on them, so I'm guessing some secret admirer," Sakura giggled like a little girl at this, Ino couldn't help smiling at her. Suddenly some events of last night came to her mind.

"Wait, how did the bouquet look? Did it look like something I could've done?"

"Definitely! I don't know anyone in Konoha being as good as you are in bouquet-making!" she exclaimed and started describing how it had looked. Ino knew immediately which bouquet she was going on about.

"Strange… you know, don't take this wrong but I think I made that bouquet for Naruto yesterday… to bring to Hinata."

"Oh… well, maybe he got them wrong then." Ino saw how Sakura's whole figure shrunk down in her seat. She immediately felt guilty.

"Or, he lied to me about giving them to Hinata. That's a very plausible option, think about it. He might wouldn't have wanted me to tell you." Sakura looked a bit better at these words, but then her face altered as she recalled something.

"Right, I was going to ask you something! I completely forgot," she smiled apologetically. Ino forwarded her to continue. "How are things Ino? You've seemed a bit… off lately. Is there something between you and Kiba?"

Ino exhaled before she answered. "I… Don't know actually. I guess I've been trying to figure it out myself to be honest." She took a deep breath before she continued with her next, dreadful sentence. "And about Kiba… Well, to be honest, everything is wrong between us. It's never been right."

She felt tears threatening to fall as she thought about how indeed awful her relationship with Kiba was. Shape up, Ino! She thought and tried to collect herself to continue. She had to keep it together, she was sitting on a goddamn café, for Christ sake.

"But I guess we're managing. I mean, every couple has troubles right?"

"Yeah, but Ino seriously this sounds bad. Do you even like the guy? I've honestly never pictured you and Kiba together." Ino deliberately avoided Sakura's concerned gaze, as she knew she'd see the truth in her eyes. Sakura always found her out. Instead, she tried to change the subject.

"Really? Who did you picture me with then? Choji? Ha ha!" Ino laughed out loud at the mere thought of her and her chubby friend together, but her laughter sounded strained, fake. But Sakura understood her need of a change, so she went along with Ino's directions of this conversation. "I always pictured you with Shikamaru, to be honest."

Ino nearly spat out her drink. What the hell. Shikamaru? What was Sakura even thinking? The two of them had been friends even longer than she had known who Sakura even was, the simple thought of being together with him felt foreign, weird.

"W-what? Why would you do that? We don't fit together. I mean, just no, we couldn't…" she stopped eventually, realising she was rambling.

"Well… I think you do. Tell me I'm wrong, but you always hang out with each other, when you're not with me of course, and you've always got each other's backs. You care so much for one another, so is it so bizarre I think you'd make a good pair?" to Ino's frustration Sakura was grinning at her own, obviously true, words. And even more frustrating was, Ino knew she was right. They were as close as Sakura said, but still the thought of Shikamaru being her boyfriend… hmm, it just wasn't really familiar.

"Well anyway," Sakura said and stood up from her chair. "We should get going to fix our dresses to the reunion. It's tomorrow, remember?"

Ino had completely forgotten. But the thought of dressing up, and spending some more time doing girly stuff with her best girlfriend made her smile, even though she still was a bit sceptic to the reunion. "Sure, just be sure to don't make me look bad," Ino said jokingly, walking away haughty from Sakura, who soon came along and punched her arm lightly with a laughter. "Sure, miss beauty-queen."

-X-

"This is a ridiculous idea, Choji. I mean it,"

"Eh, come on now! We got to look good tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah, sure, but what if someone see us? I don't want to be seen… shopping."

He spoke the word with loathing. Choji just shrugged it off. They were both situated in the only shop in town selling fancy clothing. The exterior of the shop wasn't exactly gaudy, but it looked rather luxurious on the inside. They were on a mission to find decent clothes for the reunion party. Shikamaru didn't even think he owned a nice shirt, but it didn't really bother him. Although, it had come to Choji's mind during their meal and he had now forced Shikamaru into a real clothing shop for the first time in life he could remember. His mum had always bought him his clothes, it was almost an embarrassing fact he didn't really wanted to acknowledge. So in a way, he guessed he should be thankful. But it was just such a drag.

He managed to find a comfortable bench near the window, where he could sit and wait while Choji spoke to the sales assistant. He watched people pass by; laughing, talking, discussing. Somehow, it kind of fascinated him. He had always been the quiet kid, just standing by, not really participated yet always watching what everyone else did. Wishing he could be more accepted, more normal. The loud, popular kids had often marvelled him. Why where they like that? Was status something you were born with? Why wasn't he more like that?

The sudden apparition of two well-known heads, one blond and one pink, made him snap out of his daydream. Fairly, the only girls he knew was heading right towards the shop they were in. Shikamaru sighed deeply, knowing there was no way they weren't going to ask why the two boys with the least sense of fashion in the whole of Konoha were in this particular shop. He curled up on the bench, hoping to not be seen. The jingling of the bell by the door who just opened brought in a chilly breeze and a loud girly laughter. Goddamn it, troublesome girls.

-X-

About 5 minutes earlier

As Ino accompanied Sakura to the only fancy clothing shop in town, she contemplated on her conversation with Sakura back at the café. Her and Shikamaru. Was it really such a bad match after all? When she thought about it, she found that they'd probably complement each other in at least good looks, but not really in brains since he was ridiculously smart. But although, thinking that way of her friend, it still felt rather wrong. Maybe she could work with it though. But for what point? It's not like Shikamaru's ever going to notice me, or anyone for that matter.

"Here we are! I'm so excited!" she squealed and laughed as they entered the shop. Ino couldn't help but smirk at her friend, but it quickly dropped as she recognized the lazy guy by the window, and the only bench in the room. She felt a blush creep up on her skin, as if he had heard her thoughts earlier. Their eyes met briefly and he smiled dimly at her before Sakura dragged her violently towards the dress section. Ino shrugged a sudden uncomfortable feeling off, and tried to concentrate on picking out dresses. It didn't exactly help that Sakura kept giving her smug looks, giggling and pointing in the direction of Shikamaru, who was still sitting in the window sporting an extremely bored look, only reacting when Choji practically forced him to participate.

"Shh, shut up!" Ino finally said in a low tone. "Stop it now already, and try on your goddamn dress, forehead!" The pinkette didn't take offence by this at all, she just gave Ino a meaning look before she disappeared into the fitting room with heaps of colourful dresses. Ino herself had only picked 5. 3 in different purple shades and styles, one black and one heavens blue.

She swiftly felt a presence behind her, making her spin around only to look up in a smirking, defined face.

"My, you look very bored for being a girl in a shop full of dresses."

"Now you're just being stereotypical. I'm actually extremely bored, because forehead-girl takes days to try out clothes you see." She was amazed at how calm she sounded. Inside, the whole of her being quivered hence his closeness. Luckily for Ino, he didn't notice and unabashedly took the seat next to her.

"Choji's a pain right now, I need a soothing Ino by my side instead."

Her heart fluttered at his words. Gosh, Ino, stop this. Focus. You have a goddamn boyfriend. Who doesn't love you! Ino muffled her inner voice, she couldn't afford to think of her best friend in a way that was more than friendly. Besides, it would lead nowhere anyway. She settled on small talk instead.

"Looking forward to tomorrow? Wearing fancy clothes and all, I know that's your style," she teased.

"Ha, ha very funny. I just love wearing clothes I can't move in." he laughed lightly. She found herself enjoying his laughter. Weird. "What about you then? Don't you just love happenings like this?"

"Well, I usually do, but I'm honestly not very thrilled about this one." She confessed, flicking her bangs aside so she could see him properly. He wore a rather puzzled expression.

"Why is that?" she had the feeling this was the beginning of a talk, and she definitely knew she couldn't spill her darkest secrets in here, so she gracefully stepped over the mine and swiftly avoided answering directly.

"Oh, nothing I'm just not in the mood. Been working too much I think, I need some time off."

To that, he simply shrugged his shoulders and that was the end of it. Ino was glad he wasn't very talkative, it was pleasant hanging out with him sometimes for a change, instead of Sakura who always talked so much she could fill an entire book-franchise. After some time of surprisingly comfortable silence, Shikamaru was called over by Choji and the same time Sakura appeared from the fitting room wearing a light green dress. It fit her poorly, but Ino got up a solution in mind instantly.

"No, not green forehead. But they have the same in pale yellow over here that will be much better…"

After spending another 2 hours in the clammy shop, they finally bought their dresses and shoes and got out in the fresh evening air. Ino felt delighted, light wind brushing her pale cheeks. She waved goodbye to Sakura who decided to go search up Naruto and steered her feet towards one of her favourite places. It was actually not far from the hill Shikamaru used to lay on watching clouds, but her place was located in an old oaken tree in a slope not too far away. When she reached it, she briefly thought on whether she'd still be able to climb up the tree or not, but as she never said no to a challenge she simply started climbing without hesitation.

The view was amazing, especially at sunset or sunrise. The whole village bathed in orange, pink and every other marvellous colour displaying on the clear sky above her. She closed her eyes as she leaned against the trunk, listening to some birds chirping and the sound of the rustling leafs around her. She daydreamed away to another place, another dimension where her life wasn't as complicated. Where she'd never gotten together with Kiba, where she could let her thoughts free instead of restraining them like she had to now. Shikamaru's face, and a faint echo of his laughter appeared behind her eyelids and she flinched slightly. But this time, she didn't push him out of her mind, instead she let him in, let all of her thoughts flood her. It was a relishing feeling.

I always pictured you with Shikamaru, to be honest.

Sakura's words flew through her head, and this time she actually thought they made sense. Ino smiled sadly for herself, because she knew she wouldn't have a chance anyway. The feeling could be described as standing on a stage throwing roses at yourself, except you deliberately aim the thorns at your most vulnerable spots. Realising, after all these years, that the one person she could truly love had no idea of it and thinking of it would only hurt her more. She was stuck on that stage, piercing herself with the thorns, in bittersweet love. She couldn't have him. It was surreal. She felt a hot tear run down her cheek as she was climbing down the tree. She wiped it away with the back of her hand and began walking home, the bag of clothes weighing her down more than ever.

She had deliberately found herself stuck in a bittersweet love.

What a drag.


Just thought I'd ask, does anyone want me to write some parts in a NaruSaku point-of-view? I haven't decided on it yet, and if I would it would still appear as minor. Let me hear your opinions ! :)