I do not own Naruto!

Break ups,Insecurities and Hello Christmas

( A year after last chapter)

This was weird. Usually whenever they met up Ino was the one to arrive last but today she'd been waiting for Sakura for at least an hour now.

'oh hurry up damn it!'

Ino cursed, it was getting pretty cold and she had important things to do.

Ino sighed with relief when Sakura stalked up to her, her hands clenched at her side as she glared down at Ino.

Countless reasons ran through Ino's head as too why Sakura looked so upset.

Maybe she was bullied or attacked. Ino shook her head. That wasn't likely with how much confidence Sakura had gained since all those years ago, she could probably deal with anyone giving her problems by using her fierce fierce words.

"Sakura? What's wrong?"

Sakura's lips twitched and her eyes were downcast as though she was sad but the livid like shaking of her entire body made Ino think the girl was angry.

"Ino-Chan, you like Sasuke-Kun don't you..."

It was less of a question and more of a statement, a statement with no kind of fact to it.

"Sakura what are you talking about, I told you, I'll help you get Sasuke,"

This time Sakura's voice wasn't as soft as before. "DON'T MESS WITH ME GOD DAMN IT!!"

Ino was taken aback by her yell but didn't get a chance to open her mouth.

" you were making a fool of me!!! Pretending we were friends!! Saying you would get me and Sasuke-Kun together but I saw, I saw you, every time you talk to Sasuke-Kun, it's like your a different person and he...it's like he's besotted!! You were laughing at me behind my back!! "

"S-Sakura, come on I would never d-"

"I hate you!" Sakura cut her off. " I can't believe you betrayed me like this! I hate you!! "

Watch out for one Sakura Haruno. Her future self words rang in her head.

Ino tried her bestest to remain calm. "You don't mean that Sakura,say you don't mean that!"

The pinkette's next words were soft and slow.

"Ino-Chan...from now on we're rivals, I don't want your pity and I don't want you too go easy on me."

She pulled the red ribbon from her hair and held it out too Ino. " I'm not gonna be that same weak little girl you saved back then, "

You let Sakura surpass you!

You were proud of little textbook skills!!

The voice rang through Ino's head and she shook with anger.

This!? This!? This is what that was about!? A boy!? Sasuke Uchiha no less!!

The guy that's supposed to ruin everything for Naruto and Kiba and Tayuya and her.

Ino felt sick. She bit down on her lip until blood drew.

If Sakura wanted a rival she would give it to her, she's make Sasuke fall at her feet and she'd go on to change the world with Naruto and Kiba.

"Okay Sakura, I won't be losing to you!"

"So how'd you get permission to do this?"

Ino looked at Kiba who was holding a rucksack and had a sleeping bag under his arm, he grinned a mischievous grin but Ino could see a he was a little tense, scared even.

"I didn't get permission my parents think I'm staying at Sakura's,"

Kiba gave a hearty chuckle. "Heh. You haven't told them about your fight?"

" of course not, being friends with Sakura was so convenient, "

She sighed.

"My mom and sis don't even know, I'm here, I snuck out,"

Naruto walked out of his apartment and closed the door behind him, a blush coated his whiskered cheeks as his eyes darted between his two friends, who were both packed for a sleep over.

Kiba looked at him blinking owlishly. "Well aren't you gonna let us in?"

" Well...y'know I'm not sure this is a good idea anymore... "

"What!?" Both of his friends gawked at him and Ino resisted the urge to punch him.

" it is 9 0' clock in the night Naruto! "

"Yeah! We're not gonna sneak back into our homes at this hour!"

" Yeah but...can't we...just not sleep at my place, "

Kiba , surprisingly, asked the question first.

"What's wrong Naruto, remember you promised you'd tell us things from now on,"

" It's just that...my house is dirty, "

Ino face palmed so hard she think she left a mark.

"You don't really think that matters does it!?"

Naruto shook his head rapidly. "No but, I always imagined, if we ever hung out at my place, it's be like normal friends do, I'd serve us tea and we'd play games , but my apartment is way to cramped to do that,"

" we don't have to do that stuff, Naruto, "

"Yeah!" Kiba grinned. "We're not normal friends, we're awesome friends,"

" And that's just facts! " Ino laughed.

"But...I can't help it if I'm a little embarrassed,"

Ino thought for a moment. "Maybe we should camp out then,"

" Huh? "

"I mean, we already have sleeping bags, we could light a fire, get some food and camp out near our spot by the river,"

" but it's chilly tonight? " Kiba complained.

"We'll light. A FIRE! ," Ino gritted and the Inuzuka huffed in compliance.

" Naruto go get the matches and some easy cook meals from your kitchen, "

The boy's face lit up and he scurried off.

Ino and Kiba looked at each other and smiled,Naruto had that affect on people.

They had played games like Naruto wanted and they talked about the future and what they wanted to do when they were older.

Kiba had shocked everyone when he said he wanted to create something, something that could surpass time itself so he could leave a mark on the world.

Ino didn't expect that Kiba would have put so much thought into his future, all she knew about her future was that she wanted to hang out with her friends forever and change the world with them. Though recently she had the goal of wanting to beat Sakura, but that was only a side goal not ... Her thing.

Thoughts raced through her mind keeping her awake when Naruto and Kiba was already cozied up near the fire in their sleeping bag.

She sighed . The moon was bright out tonight and though it was indeed cold she would manage.

Picking up her blanket Ino wrapped it around herself and walked off into the forest. She couldn't help but take in all the sounds of the forest, she heard crickets, owls hooting, she didn't think birds would be out at this hour but they were , she saw a rabbit scurry across her path and a pair of squirrels running up a tree.

She couldn't help but wonder what other kinds of animals there were, the forest was full of so many but...was that really all?

She wondered about sea animals,Konoha didn't have any beaches and barely any lakes but she read about dolphins and whales, her heart jumped at the thought of getting to see one.

" ROAR!! "

Ino stopped, frozen in her spot, "What was that!?" She wondered out loud.

Her first instinct was to run back to Naruto and Kiba but she steeled her nerves. It could just be a dog and she was being unreasonably scared .

She followed the path to where she heard the sound of the thing , it took her a while but she finally found it and saying she was shocked would be a gross understatement.

It was huge and it's scales and eyes were the color of sapphires, an intense blue that refracted the light of the moon. The radiating blue tone of its scales captured Ino in an awestruck trance. It had two serrated fangs that jutted out of her upper jaw onto her bottom lip slightly, Ino guessed the rest of her teeth must have been white, sharp, knife-like and meat-shearing . Her head was roughly triangular and right near her left eye was a small scar Ino almost missed.

Her body stature could be inferred as very aerodynamic and built for flying, and it's wings...oh It's wings .They were large, meant to carry its weight and anything else it may have to, soft blue plumage spread and flapped in a clumsy stretch creating whiplash that almost knocked Ino to the ground, she couldn't help but think they resembled the wings of an angel but this was no angel.

She was staring at,in all its glory, a dragon.

The Dragon stared at her with wide blue eyes wondering what exactly she would do and Ino knew that moving just was not an option. She stood there shaking with heavy breaths and the Dragon eyed her before it decided she was probably way weaker than it was . The Dragon padded towards her in a slow gait and Ino held her breath and prayed to any God that would listen. She do not want to die!

It got close to her face and huffed , steam coming out it's nostrils but to Ino's utter surprise she didn't feel a single change in temperature, at first she thought that maybe it was just frost from the cold but she knew, she just knew, this was steam...so Why didn't it burn her?

The Dragon also seemed puzzled by this, it stepped back from her and Ino was about to run but before she could she was bombarded by the Dragon letting out a huge trail of fire from it's mouth , Ino trembled, unable to move out of the way as the blaze made its way toward her, she wanted to shout; Naruto ! Kiba!Save me! But her voice was caught.

The fire finally hit her, she could see nothing but orange for a while and she felt a bit warm but then it was over...and she was alive, her eyes were a little dry but she was alive. "God almighty I'm alive!" She cried and fell to the ground hugging herself.

Ino stood up, finding confidence from somewhere she looked at the Dragon, a weary smile on her face as she stalked towards it, inhaling and exhaling she placed a hand on it's snout , taking in the warmth of its scales,instinctively she placed her cheek on it and her eyes drooped as she grew sleepy ...and then a woman fell from the sky.

The lady wore a mask so her face could not be seen but Ino knew this was a female by the body structure and the moonlight silver hair. The woman faced the Dragon and yelled.

"Dragon! What are you doing here!?"

" Go back at once!!! "

Ino almost fell over as the Dragon without warning poofed out of existence much like a shadow clone would. The woman faced Ino and by the slight tensing of her shoulders and tightening of her fist, Ino deduced she was shocked by something.

She stared at the soot covered blonde before finally speaking. "You're naked,"

Before Ino could die of embarrassmentthe lady stalked up to her and socked her in the nose causing Ino to clock out.

Ino woke up wrapped in Naruto and Kiba's blankets, both couldn't look her in the eye and were completely red in the face, she pummeled them and made them promise to never speak of this.

CHRISTMAS DAY ONE YEAR LATER._

Ino loved this holiday.

There was something about the season that sent joy flooding through her body, sending her bones vibrating with the excitement of it all.

In typical Ino fashion, she was hosting a party. There weren't too many of them present, just the inner circle of Kiba , Naruto , her and Iruka-Sensei who left earlier, but that's just how she liked it.

Plain. Simple. Intimate.

Her eyes kept drifting toward one attendee in particular, and her cheeks heated every time he caught her bashful gaze.

Naruto.

He was sitting with Kiba on the couch in front of his fireplace, talking about something that Ino had no idea about . So, she stayed in the kitchen, placing baked goods strategically on a red and green striped platter.

Her mother had no idea she was hear tonight, they both thought she was spending Christmas with Sakura. They had been planning this since last year , spending Christmas night together and eating sweets and playing games.

She sighed,tired of decorating gingerbread men she took her cookies and placed them on the table in front of Naruto and Kiba before squeezing in the middle of both of them.

"Let's be honest here," she grinned at the boys. " Kiba has the ugliest sweater right? "

The boy in question grinned and yelled out in joy. "Hell yeah! I win!"

" what ! No way mine's clearly uglier! " Naruto chirped.

"Sorry Naruto, Ino spoke and king's words...are absolute,"

" Oh hush you too and just eat up! " Ino groaned not wanting to be in the middle of a yelling competition , she hugged them both trying to steal their warmth and bask in the quiet.

"We should play snowball fight," Kiba said out of the blue and a tick mark grew on Ino's forehead. " It's ten in the night Baka!! "

"It was just a thought..."

Naruto got up and walked over to the next side of the room and grinned

" hey Ino try to score the cookie in my mouth! "

Ino laughed. "No way, you don't throw food,"

" well I do! " Kiba grabbed a cupcake and launched it at Naruto , having no intention of getting it in his mouth, the cupcake hit Naruto's forehead with a Splat! and then trailed down his face leaving a mark of red icing.

Ino sighed, they probably tasted horrible anyway.

Naruto got a snack of his own and threw it at Kiba who caught it in his mouth, Naruto grew annoyed and then commenced the Christmas food fight.

Later in the night when everyone was asleep Ino squeezed out from between Naruto and Kiba ,who were trying to steal her body heat, and opened the window.

A cold wind pricked her cheeks and she closed her eyes ,taking a deep breath in and then,she heard it... A faraway shriek from above, she looked up and saw the Dragon from last year, it circled the sky and roared a trail of fire just for Ino and then flew off into the distance.

This time there was no lady though.

Ino smiled. It was a nice Christmas.

Merry christmas!!!

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