A/N: Thank you for all your good reviews and hope you enjoyed the third chapter of my story, now as promise, here's the next chapter and enjoy! This chapters going to be a ride =]
Were Going Together & Leaving Together
Ino looked at herself in the reflection of her bathrooms mirror, staring at her wet hair and face, body being covered by the bathrobe she had slipped in after the steamy shower she and Shikamaru had had a few minutes ago, "Whats wrong?" Shikamaru asked, coming out of the bath tub and wrapping a white towel around his waist, "It wasn't good?" Shikamaru stood behind Ino and sat his chin on her shoulder, looking at her reflection trough the mirror. Sadness crossed her face and he noticed.
"No-" Ino's eye's moved down at the reflection, down to her waist where she wouldnt be able to lock her eye's on Shikamaru, "It was good, I'm just a little nervous about tonight." Ino thought back to the conversation Ten Ten and herself had had the night before, Naruto was the only person that Ino kept thinking about seeing in less then twenty-four hours.
"Its going to be fine Ino. Were going together and were leaving together." Shikamaru's words hit Ino hard, were going together and leaving together. That's exactly what she hoped would come out of this reunion, he would be the man she would sleep next to by the end of the night. Hopefully.
"Lets get ready, we only have about three hours to get over there thanks to you for not setting the alarm clock, and you know its a long drive from here to that damn school." Ino smiled back up at Shikamaru's reflection, they both had waken up late do to Shikamaru's lazy memory. "Lets go." Ino turned around and placed a soft kiss on his lips, leading him out the bedroom.
Ino's outfit for the reunion was the color she was feeling this morning, blood red. As she dried her body off and slid her black panties on with matching black bra, she sprayed her body of the sweet smell of perfume. With that out the way, Ino began to slither into her tight blood red dress she had bough a week ago, the tight dress fitted above her knees with a small opening in the middle with a black line running across it.
"You look handsome." Ino smiled over to Shikamaru who was sliding his black dress pants up over his black dress shirt, the tie he wore around his neck matched the color of her dress, "You clean up good." Ino giggled softly and looked over at the counters mirror, looking at her reflection again while Shikamaru put his dress shoes on while sitting on the soft bed.
"Damn." Ino spoke out when she looked over at the digital clock on the counter that read 3:00 p.m."What time you said they rescheduled for?" Ino asked while slipping her feet in her high heels that also matched her dress, she looked over at Shikamaru who was sitting there on the bed with a blank look, "Shika? I said what time they-"
"Six."
Shikamaru had answered to quickly for Ino, had something been bothering him as well as it was on her? "Shika, are you alright?" Ino walked over to the bed, balancing herself in her heels, "Whats wrong?" Ino asked, taking a seat next to him on the bed, taking her left palm and placing it on his thigh.
"Nothing." Shikamaru smiled, still not looking up at her direction, "Its nothing-" Shikamaru took hold of her hand and griped it gently, "I dont know, is just." Shikamaru released his grip on her palm and stood up to his feet, "Is just-" Shikamaru walked over to the counter and stared down at the wooden counter, deeply in thought.
"Is just what?"
"Is just that I am-" Shikamaru interlocked his fingers together before speaking, "I am afraid to go back to Konoha. What if they don't accept us for what happened? Ino, Temari is going to be there." Shikamaru turned back around to see his fiance sitting down with her eye's to the floor, "Naruto will be there Ino."
The name hit her like a brick, throughout being with him for the ten years, he had never spoken his name out to her. This was the first time and it had knocked her off her balance. Both stood in the room quite for minutes, "I know Shikamaru, but you said it yourself-" Ino got to her feet and walked over to Shikamaru slowly, placing her arm around his neck and giving him a kiss to his cheek, "Were going in to this together and we are leaving together." Ino spoke into his ear, but could she truly belive her own words?
"We should get going Ino, its about a hour ride." Shikamaru opened up a counter drawer and took the car keys, "I'll wait for you down stairs alright?" Shikamaru walked out the room without letting Ino get a simple answer out. Ino stood in the room, left alone with her own thoughts.
The platinum blond moved closer to the mirror to fix her blond hair, letting it run down her back with her blond bangs hanging over her eye's with mystery. "Naruto" Ino spoke his name out loud, her lips almost trembling with each letter escaping her mouth. "Time to face you again." Ino walked over to her sliding closet and slid it open, moving all the clothes hanging on the hooks to reveal a small plastic container that had some white dust over it, "Its been such a long time."Ino clicked open the box to see the picture she had taken on prom night. They had taken on prom night.
It was ten years to long she had seen this picture, that night was a beautiful night to both of them. She wished she could go back to that night, even though it was the same night Naruto had found out about Ino's affair with Sasuke. Ino stood on her knees looking at the picture with hope and sadness, wishing she could've made everything right before he was snatched away from her life.
"This is enough."Ino placed the picture back in the container full of memories she had kept in her high school years, and pulled out raggedy envelope. "This was it." Ino's eye's began to water at the letter she held in her hands, his letter he had gave her the day he left her with her heart in pieces.
Ino closed the plastic box and hit it behind all her clothes, walking back over to the counter she placed the letter on it and looked at herself in the mirror. Wondering where was the happiness she had seen in the picture, where was it now? Ino looked down on the counter and opened up the envelope, feeling the letter in her fingers like she had ten years ago. Ino unfolded the letter, and for the first time, she read the letter for the second time.
Dear Ino,
I know your reading this a little to late after my leaving. I had so many things to say to you Ino, so much in such a small amount of time. I came here to Konoha expecting it to be the same as other places I had lived before, but then I met you and my life was never the same after that. When I first laid my eye's on you, I knew I was going to develop feelings for you, I was just hoping you would have the same feelings for me. You were the most beautifulest girl I ever laid eye's on Ino, you were the one that I fell for, the one who stole my heart. Before you Ino, I never once knew what love was, I tried to manage up the courage to tell you sooner that I was leaving, but faith had something better for us. Every minute with you was a minute I always wanted to be repeated. I wanted you to stay by my side at every moment, in better words, I was afraid someone will win you away from me. Someone better.
If only I had more time Ino, you wouldn't have to be going trough this the way you are now. Regrets are something I told you never to think of, something to never look back on and to move forward. I regret never telling you how I truly did feel about you. I was in love with you Ino, you'll always have a piece of my heart inside me, something I thought would take me years to get. Was it worth it? Was it worth putting me trough the hell you put me trough on our last weeks together? Time was something that definitely wasn't on out side. Thank you Ino for the great time I had here in Konoha, you thought me many things but most importantly you thought me how to love. My memories with you will never leave me, never be forgotten. Even with what you did to me with him, you know who, I'm still in love with you. Your flaws didn't mean a thing to me Ino Yamanaka, with this, its time to explain the reason as to why I'm not there with you, enjoying our Graduation. All my life I've had to move from place to place, this is no different. My dad landed another job far away from here and we had to move there. I had to see you just once more at Graduation, to see the final picture in my head of the girl I once loved. I'll miss you Ino, hopefully one day, if were lucky, our paths will cross again and I'll be able to feel the same love I feel for you now Ino, but now I must say my last goodbye. If we do meat again in the future Ino, always know, I love you.
Forever Yours, Love, Naruto
The words he had written on the letter had hit Ino's heart again, regret was the only thing she had on her mind yet again. How could she had let him leave her like this? Was she really happy with Shikamaru? "Yes." She told herself as she looked back up at the mirror over the counter, she looked at her reflection and saw the tear drop coming down her cheek slowly.
Ino walked down the steps of her porch with a bag in her hands, inside the bag was his letter. The blond walked over to the bathroom and looked up at the darkness of the sky, it was early but the whether outside was cold and windy, was this a sign? As Ino sat next to Shikamaru in the passenger seat, she noticed his glare over in her direction, "What?"
"Whats the bag for?"
"I'm just taking some stuff with me. Lets go, its about to be four." Ino buckled herself in her seat belt and looked straight ahead, Shikamaru's eye's remained on her but he gave up. Shikamaru pulled out the driveway and out they were to meet destiny at the high school reunion. The car came to a stop when Shikamaru drove into the highway with the two roads being full of cars, a car accident at the very end of it.
"Shit, this is going to make us late." Shikamaru drove up behind a car that was sitting in place, it was going to take some time before he drove out of this mess. Ino looked out the window and just wondered on how it was going to be to go back to everyone she loved, all her friends she had left behind. In the mist of it, Ino's eye's began to get drowzy and slowly by slowly, her eye's dropped.
"Ino." Ino heard her name being echoed around the darkness of her mind, "Ino." The males voice echoed around the blond who was standing in the middle of the pitch black surrounding, "Its been ten years Ino." Ino looked around and stopped do to the dizziness, she felt someones eye's attached to the back of her head, "Ino, look behind you." Ino heard the voice echo behind her so closely, Ino turned around to see Naruto standing behind her with a smile, he almost looked exactly to how she had last seen him. Almost.
"Naruto." Ino stepped back, moving her finger up to touch him. She wanted him to be real. "Naruto, is this really you?" Ino looked at him with concern, her jaw almost dropping. She eye'd his clothes, his hair, how his body movement remained the same after all these years.
"Remember this?" Naruto asked, the letter he had left for her so long ago, right back into his hand. "I left this for you Ino, remember? I loved you Ino. Why you have to mess it up?" Naruto asked with hurt in his words, his blue eye's still remained a mystery to her even with the long time period.
"Naruto, I'm sorry-" Ino asked taking a step closer to the blond, he stepped back. Ino noticed he was somehow glowing in the darkness, his light was slowly going out as his legs began to fade from color into the darkness, "Naruto wait-" Ino stepped closer but the more she did, the more his body began to disappear into the blackness.
"You messed it up Ino, hope your happy with your choice." Naruto lifted the letter up as both blonds watch the fire start at the very tip of it, slowly making its way down to the bottom and burning it to pieces, "Goodbye Ino." Naruto looked at her with serious in his eye's, his body was slowly dissolving until his eye was the only part that was left but even that was disappearing, "Hope your happy." Naruto's eye vanished into pieces, leaving Ino in the darkness of her mind.
Ino jumped at the sound of Shikamaru's car horn, "No!" Ino yelled out, seeing the car in front of them move out the way and she quickly realized where they were. Konoha. "Shika-" Ino looked at the cars clock and saw that it read 5:36 p.m. "How did we get here so quick?" Ino asked, thinking back to her dream. How could your mind play so many games with your head.
"You were sleeping the whole ride here Ino." Shikamaru continued to drive with his eye's straight ahead, "Were almost here." Shikamaru, along with Ino, looked around at their childhood town and how none of it has changed trough time, "This place still looks the same." Shikamaru looked over at Ino but she was looking out the window in awe.
"There it is." Ino looked ahead and saw the school she had gone to, the school she had met Naruto. "This hasn't changed neither." Ino noticed the high school still looked the same, she also saw the balloons at the main entrance with the class she graduated with. Students, now adults, were all entering the school with smiles on their face. Ino recognized most of them, being in classes with them, but never once she talked to them.
"Park right there." Ino ordered silently, Shikamaru parking the car in between two other cars near the entrance of the school. He shut off the engine and looked over at Ino with serious eye's, "You ready for this Ino?" Shikamaru asked, moving his hand over her palm and giving it a gentle squeeze.
"I'm ready Shikamaru." Ino leaned over and kissed him on the lips, "Lets go." Ino unlocked their hands and unlocked the door and stepped out into the coldness of the winds. The sun was slowly going down behind the horizon, the darkness Ino had been inside of her mind, coming out. "Remember what you said Shika-" Ino waited for Shikamaru to grab her hand as both of them walked over to the entrance of the school with anticipation, "We came here together and were leaving here together."
As the engaged couple entered the school, Ino had a bad vibe seeing the hallways she walked for many years of her life along side of her friends, "Wow." Ino smiled at all the familiar faces around walking towards the same direction, the cafeteria, "This place still looks the same." Ino smiled at all the colorful decorations around the hallways, she noticed the cafeteria was around the corner as they turned and spotted a familiar face.
"Ino!" The female yelled as she turned the corner at the same time, wrapping her arms around Ino's waist and holding her close, "Ino, I missed you. You look great. You to Shika." Tenten smiled at the couple, giving him a hug and going back over to Ino, "Ino, you look so beautiful." Tenten, wearing a long purple dress with her hair tied into a rich pony tail, "I was looking all over for you Ino. Wow, look at you. I missed you so much Ino. Its been ten years that I haven't seen you." Tenten spoke out like a sad child, tears in her eye's. Ino noticed that she still looked the way she used to look in high school. She remained good after ten years. "You wont believe who's here-"
"Hey you guys!" Ino heard someone shout out, whipping her neck over she saw Neji, Kiba and Lee smiling over at them and waving there hands. Time had done good for them as well, Neji hair was pulled back into a pony tail as well. "They look good as well." Ino waved over at them with joy, "You could go with them Shika, I'll catch up with you inside alright?" Shikamaru kissed Ino on her lips before running over with his old crew and slapping each other's palms, "Tenten, I missed you so much. You look good like always." Both girls chuckled as they walked inside the cafeteria and saw all the huge decorations around the tables of food and drinks and the DJ over at the corner. It felt like prom nigh all over again.
The large crowds of people hugging and kissing each other for all the time gone without seeing each other, Ino envied that. She wished all her friends would just be in front of her happy to see her but that wasn't the case for what she had done. Especially to Temari. "Have you talk to anyone I know?" Ino asked Tenten who remained close, walking trough the paths and seeing Jiraiya over at the corner of the room drinking some punch and observing everyone, "My old English teacher." Ino shook her head with a slide smile but that all went away when she saw him for the first time in ten years.
Ino's heart rate began to increase fast, almost jumping out her chest when she saw him wearing a black tuxedo with a white tie, handsome as always. Ino's eye's opened up wider, getting a look at his face to see his face was as beautiful as she thought it would after all these years. "Naruto" Ino thought as she tried to relax her shaking body, feeling tension between them even though he was across the large room and had his eye's on the person next to him, "Tenten-" Ino began to smile again but once again, it faded away when she looked down at his hand and saw that it was interlocked with a females hand, "Who's that-" Ino ran her eye's down the woman's arm and saw she had a white dress on with green high heels, she looked up at her face and saw the clear white face with her brownish hair pulled back into a bun with her bangs hanging over her eye's, "Temari."
That's that! Where is Sakura by the way??? How did he and Temari end up together??? And most importantly, wheres Sasuke in all this??? Find out later on in the story, hope you liked the twist. Please review! =]
