The Truth
~Recap~
"He shouldn't have said all those horrible things to you, but think about it Ino. You had been poking fun at him for years, and he always took it because he was crazy in love with you. But then he isn't around you all the time, and you just confess your love for him out of the blue. He never thought in a million years you would do such a thing, so he figured you were probably trying to make fun of him. He lost it. I'm sorry it went down the way that it did—"
"Wait," Ino barked, "did you just say…that he was in love with me at one point?!" Her cigarette hand shook violently as she brought it up to her lips.
"Oh shit…" Shikamaru glowered through gritted teeth. This is was something she wasn't supposed to hear, not from him.
Ino finished her cigarette in silence. She couldn't hear Shikamaru warning her to never let Temari know that this particular part of the conversation was ever mentioned. She couldn't hear him begging her to not make a scene. Both her brain and her heart were reeling in the chaos of this newly acquired knowledge. She flicked her cigarette butt into the alley and flew to the door. Shikamaru had no time to react, and she was inside and lost on the dance floor before he could finish his last drag.
She saw Choji's bride cozied up to the male bartender at the counter as she walked by. She elbowed her way through the crowd over to where she had last seen Choji. Sakura and Temari hadn't seen Ino, but they saw Shikamaru run through the door. And that could only mean trouble. When the three of them caught up with her, it was already too late.
Ino was standing only a few paces in front of the Akamichi heir. Choji had a drink in his hand and was leaning up against the back of a booth style seat, looking bewildered. The people involved remained speechless as the music raged on and the crowd continued to dance. No one knew what was happening, or what was going to happen.
"Ino…?" Choji ventured first. He hadn't laid eyes on her since that day at the cemetery. He always loved it when she left her hair down, and he thought the less makeup she wore the better she looked. She was still beautiful to him. He could smell the whiskey and cigarettes on her breath, so he knew something pretty bad was about to happen. Temari, Sakura and Shikamaru braced themselves and prepared for a typical Ino fit of rage.
"Why didn't you say anything Choji?" Ino's voice was quiet. When she finally lifted her gaze from the floor and looked him in the eyes, he saw her tears began to brim.
"All those years of putting up with my jokes, and you never once complained. If you had told me it bothered you, I would have stopped because…I loved you too." No one breathed a word, not even Choji.
"You're right…I was cruel, and selfish, and I always made fun of you. Instead of apologizing, I made you think that I was playing you for a fool. I'm sorry that I hurt you. I'm really, really, really sorry."
Ino's voice never once rose up to her squeaky "fury pitch." She remained calm and quiet the entire time. And when she finished, she slowly turned around and made her way to the exit. Every muscle in her body and every stare from her friends pierced her like a thousand senbon needles, but she just kept moving through the crowd. She had said what she needed to say, and nothing more could be done. Tears of pain and sadness fell freely down her face. Everyone watched her walk away in stunned silence. Choji watched the door close behind her as she stepped out into the night.
"You should probably expect her R.S.V.P. to be checked 'will not be attending.'" Sakura said gently. The three friends turned to leave as well.
Choji's heart sank in his large chest. He knew Sakura was right, but still…he couldn't imagine his wedding without her there somehow. He turned back to his drink, letting the sad reality drown away in the alcohol.
