Reviews:
Blackmisery: I will. Thank you for your nice review.
RomeArrow13: If I made that Uchiha a main character on a Gaara x Ino story, don't you think Gaara should be in every single chapter? He will, don't worry. Thank you for your nice review.
Cchicotoo: Ah, another SasuIno fan XD. Don't worry; I'll be adding both the pairing in the next couple of chapters.
Cheese maiden: Well, I'm actually glad they did too. Sakura will show up in this story more than I thought. Till now, Gaara and Sasuke have never come face to face with each other, except in the hospital. Thank you for your review.
Gaara'sbutterfly: -nod- I agree. But I think leaving Sasuke would be pretty hard for Sakura for some reason. Gaara might not be able to tell her how he feels. Wait and see. Thanks for your review.
Oktoberfest: Oh yeah, I love those $$holes as well. Thank you for your review.
madame nonchalant: hehe, yeah, I kinda felt embarrassed by that. Like I told you, English is not my native language so I always mix up those two words. I corrected it. Oh, and Go ahead, slap him for all I care xP. Thanks for the correction and the review.
Liaish: OMG. Well, our emo friend has surely proved that being a crappy boyfriend is possible. Ha-ha. I'm so evil xP. Thank you, fellow Gaara supporter XD
Got back to Kuwait -my home country- last night so I hope this chapter doesn't suck.
-Sigh- I do not own Naruto, the characters or their personalities…err, I guess their OOCness is mine.
Enjoy!
That night, Chapter 7
She opened her eyes, blinking to remove the blur that has formed during sleeping. Ino rubbed her eyes and sat up, looking at her surroundings.
"Where am I?" she mumbled, checking her bedroom. 'Wait, this is not my bedroom' she thought as she looked around; Pink was the main theme of the room.
She moved her vision towards her left where the bed stand was, '08:30pm' the clock read. She sighed and moved her legs to the side of the bed, getting up.
Ino stretched, finally removing all traces of tiredness. The room was dark; the moonlight was coming through the bed-side window, making it a little bit brighter. She sighed, walking towards the door, turning the knob and getting out.
She slowly started recognizing the house, finally making sure when she walked into the living room where the TV was turned on. In front of it, on the couch, sat her pink-haired friend.
"Sakura?" she mumbled, making her friend turn around before getting up. "Hey, you're awake!" she said, walking towards her friend with a smile on her face. "You got me so worried back there" she said, rubbing the back of her neck. Ino chuckled lightly, looking at the ground.
"Why did you bring me here?" Ino asked, looking at Sakura who had a puzzled look on her face, before turning into a serious one. "Let's sit down, Ino" she said, walking back towards the couch. Ino nodded and followed, sitting down on the couch with her. Sakura turned off the TV and turned to her friend.
"I diagnosed what made you faint…" she started, making Ino widen her eyes before turning her head to the side. "…so I figured that you can't go to your place, otherwise your parents will be freaked if they knew" she said, looking at Ino who was at the verge of tears.
"Are you going to tell me about―?"
"―No!" Ino interrupted, making Sakura wince a bit. She realized that what she did wasn't right.
"I-I'm sorry, Sakura…" she said, looking at her hands, fumbling with them. "…I'm just not taking it very well" she said, looking at Sakura with tears welling up her eyes.
"Is it Sasuke?" Sakura bluntly said, making Ino look at her shockingly. "No, No. It's not…" she sighed, before continuing, "…Sakura, don't think foolishly. I never did anything with Sasuke…" she said, looking at Sakura who had a hurt expression on her face.
"…I can see you haven't forgiven me yet" Ino said, chuckling nervously. Sakura shook her head, "No, that's not it. If he was the father then I would've killed him" she said, firmly. "I'm not going to stand still while my best friend is…well, pregnant" she said, shrugging. Ino laughed.
"I'll try to handle everything. I might just…leave" she said, looking at the ground.
"Leave?" Sakura questioned, blinking a couple of times. "Leave the house, leave Konoha, and leave everything behind!" Ino said, clarifying her words. "Mom is telling me to have an abortion and I don't want to. I don't know whether dad knew or not" she said, sighing heavily. Sakura nodded and rested her hand on Ino's shoulder.
"You can stay here, until you figure out everything" she said, smiling. Ino shook her head, "I might just spend the night here. I don't want to cause you any trouble" Ino said, causing her friend to sigh.
"Alright…" she said, smiling. "…but you're always welcome here, no matter what the reason was" she said, grinning. Ino smiled, "Thank you, Sakura" she said, smiling.
"We'd better get some sleep, you should too, for the safety of you-know-who" she said, poking Ino's belly. She chuckled.
"I slept for a long time, I'm not really tired" Ino exclaimed, sitting back, facing the TV. "What's on at the moment?" she asked, looking at Sakura who had the remote in her hand. "Don't know, let's check!" she said, turning on the TV, watching whatever was on.
He was tired, not physically, but mentally. Too many thoughts were crossing his mind. He didn't know whether he made the right choice or not.
"I promised, and I didn't keep it" he mumbled, sighing heavily. The sleepless nights came haunting him back. Gaara couldn't rest in his bed, so he decided to take a stroll.
"A lot on your mind, I see"
Gaara looked to his right, "Hyuuga Neji…" he mumbled the name of the person that stood there. He cleared his throat before continuing "What are you doing out here?" he asked, looking at the narrow-eyed Hyuuga.
"The same reason you're out here…" he said, "…the inability to sleep" he continued, walking towards the Suna shinobi.
"You seem…" Neji said, pausing for a second "…troubled" he continued, looking at Gaara who sighed heavily. "Let's say that things happened the way they shouldn't" He exclaimed, looking at Neji who nodded.
"Want to share?" he said, looking right into Gaara's narrowed eyes. The latter shook his head.
"No" he said, walking off. Neji smirked, "I bet it's about Ino…"
Gaara stopped dead in his tracks, turning around slowly. "…I saw the way you acted in the hospital. You care for her" he continued with his usual smirk on his face.
Gaara narrowed his eyes, "What if I do? Is there something wrong with that?" he said, facing Neji. The latter shook his head, "Not that I know about. Is that what's troubling you?" Neji said, walking towards Gaara who took a seat on one of the benches along the way.
"It's alright. I won't tell" Neji said, sitting next to Gaara. "They say I'm good at keeping secrets. I never tried, though" he said, chuckling. Gaara chuckled before sighing heavily. A silent mood took over both of them.
"Is it that huge?"
"It's Life altering!" Gaara quickly replied; silence took over him again. "What happened?" Neji asked, turning a bit to face him.
"Let's say that I have this….friend…" Gaara said, apparently trying to change the story. "…and that friend did something with another friend and got her pregnant…" he continued, trying to look as calm as possible, "…once that friend of mine found out that his friend was pregnant, he decided to help her with the baby but then he….broke his promise" Gaara said, looking at Neji who had a dumbfounded look on his face.
"All that…" he said, moving his index finger, indicating what he'd said, "…happened to your friend?" Neji asked; the hint of sarcasm was in his voice. Gaara rolled his eyes.
"Do you want to help or not?" Gaara asked, receiving a nod from the Hyuuga. "So, from what you said…" Neji said, pausing for a second, "…you got Ino pregnant?!" he said, a bit surprised.
"She doesn't want to have an abortion and now I…I don't know what to do" Gaara said in defeat. Neji nodded in understanding.
"Do YOU want to help her? Or you're just too afraid of what's coming?" Neji asked, causing Gaara to confusingly look at him.
"What do you mean?" he asked, titling his head fully towards Neji. The latter sighed, "What I'm saying, this situation is like you put it 'life altering' and it's a huge step in both of your lives…" Neji said, looking at the ground before moving his vision back to Gaara.
"…it's obvious that you're nervous and no wonder, you've got yourself in a big trouble there." Neji said, patting Gaara on the back before getting up.
"Oh, one question…" Neji said, sliding his hands in his pockets, "…but you have to answer it without thinking" he continued, receiving a glare from Gaara. "This is not time for play―"
"―I'm not. Seriously" Neji interrupted, making Gaara nod, agreeing on the rule of the question.
"How do you feel about Ino?"
"I love her"
Neji smirked while Gaara moved his vision to the ground, "Then follow your heart. It's the only thing that would lead you to the right choice" Neji said, walking off, leaving Gaara to think about his words.
'Do I really love her?' he thought, 'or are those just mixed feelings?' he fumbled with his hands, 'Can I really help her? Would I be able to be who she wants me to be?'
Gaara spent the rest of the night thinking about the right decisions. He knew deep inside that he always loved being with her, loved her personality, loved her style and loved just about everything about her. He wasn't certain of his feelings, not until that night they spent together.
"That's it…" he said, getting up before sitting back down. "…that's not it" he exclaimed, holding the sides of his head. "Arrgh, I don't know what to do" he said, frustrating. He sighed heavily.
"I should go home, that should do it for now" he mumbled, getting up. Gaara looked at the sky, took a deep breath and exhaled it, knowing how long that night was going to be for him.
A couple of hours later…
"Yeah, she came here last night"
Ino's eyes shot open, hearing Sakura's voice talking to someone.
"Alright, we'll be waiting" Sakura said, hanging up the phone. Ino sat up, realizing that she has fallen asleep on the couch. She got up and rubbed her neck which ached her, making her groan. Sakura turned her head towards the blonde once she heard.
"Good morning" she cheerfully said, smiling at Ino who narrowed her eyes. Sakura titled her head to the side, "Hey, are you ok?" she asked, receiving a nod from Ino.
"I'm alright, who was on the phone?" she replied, moving her legs to the side of the couch. Sakura smiled and walked towards her friend, sitting next to her.
"Your father" she bluntly said, causing Ino to widen her eyes. "He asked where you were. I think he's worried about you"
"I can't believe you told him where I am!" Ino spat, getting up. Sakura blinked a couple of times.
"I believe you'd want him to know where you are. He deserves it"
"No, he doesn't!" she yelled back, pacing around frustratingly. "He doesn't even deserve me as his daughter, not after what I've done" Ino said, sobbing. Sakura looked at the ground as Ino continued.
"I…failed him when I was supposed to make him proud. Instead of being a great Yamanaka ninja, I'm getting him an illegal grandchild" Ino said, sobbing. Sakura narrowed her eyes sadly and slowly moved her arm around her friend's shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Ino" Sakura said, looking at the ground. "I-I was only trying to help. He really needs to talk to you. That's why I asked him to come. He literally begged me to tell him if I knew where you were, I couldn't just ignore that" She continued, looking at her friend whose sobs started dying down.
"Was he…" Ino sobbed, "…did he sound upset or angry?" she asked, receiving a head-shake from her friend.
"Not at all, if he sounded something, I'm sure it was worry" Sakura said, reassuring her friend. "At first, I didn't want to tell him, respecting your wish, but when he said that he looked all over for you, I decided to tell him" Sakura explained, receiving a nod from her blonde friend.
"You're right. I just… don't know if I could face him"
Knock, Knock.
Both girls turned their heads towards the door. Sakura's mother came out of one of the rooms in the house and walked towards the door.
"It's alright" Sakura said, smiling at Ino who nodded. The door was opened to reveal Inoichi who looked a bit pale and surely worried.
"Hello, Inoichi. Please, come on in." Sakura's mother welcomed him. He nodded and walked in, looking for a sign for his daughter. When he spotted her, he smiled. "Ino…" he started, walking towards her. From the tone of his voice, she knew that he knew about her secret.
Ino got up and looked at the ground, closing her eyes. She expected him to yell at her, scolding her for doing what she's done.
Instead, he hugged her. Sakura and her mother decided that they should leave them alone for the moment. Ino was surprised by her father's actions.
"I'm sorry, princess…" he started, holding her tightly before pulling her away from him. "…I won't let your mother force you to do something you don't want to do. I promise" he said, smiling.
Ino was frozen in her place. 'Does he know? Did mother tell him?' she thought, narrowing her eyes at him.
"I assume you already know…" she started, looking at the ground. "…I'm sorry, father" she said, looking shamefully at the ground.
Inoichi nodded. "I know you are. I also know that you'll keep the baby" he said, putting his hand securely on her back, slowly pushing her towards the couch.
"It's a huge responsibility, Ino" he started as they both sat down. "Are you really willing to take that?" he asked, a hint of anxiety was in his voice. Ino looked at him and nodded.
"I made my choice, dad" she said, looking back at the ground, touching her stomach. "It's…pretty hard to comprehend, but I want you to support me in this. You…you're the only one I have" she said as tears started welling up in her eyes.
Inoichi narrowed his eyes, "What about Gaara?" he asked, lowering his head to her eye level. She smirked, "Turns out, he wasn't ready for this" she said, sniggering.
"That bastard!" He spat, "If I saw him, I'm going to―"
"―Dad, please. It's his choice and I don't want to force him" Ino firmly said. "But it's his responsibility"
"It's his life, dad." Ino said, taking a deep breath. "I gave him the choice and he made it" she continued, looking at the ground. Both of them remained silent for a moment before Ino decided to speak up.
"I'm staying with Sakura, dad…" she bluntly said, looking at him with empty eyes before looking back at the ground. "…Until everything is sorted out, that is" she said, not removing her eyes from the ground. Ino could hear her father shift in his place. He opened his mouth to speak up but she knew what he was about to say.
"She knows, dad, and she's willing to help me" she said, smiling at her father. "You can always come around, I'm sure Haruno-san won't mind" she said, sadly. He nodded and got up. "Of course, sweetheart, anything for you" he said, smiling at her.
Ino got up and hugged her father, "Thank you, Dad, for everything" she said, pulling back and looking at the ground. "…and I'm sorry for failing you" she shamefully said.
"You did not fail me, sweetheart. In fact, your determination to keep the baby is what makes me proud. You're a typical copy of your old man" he said, chuckling. Ino smiled and nodded, "So you admit you're an old man" she joked, receiving a laugh from her father.
"Yeah, that's why I need to see a grandchild soon" he said, holding his daughter by the shoulders. "Take care now" he said, kissing her forehead before walking off. Ino turned around and watched her father go out the door. A couple of seconds passed until Ino heaved a sigh.
'That went well, oddly well' she thought, looking around for any sign of her friend.
"Sakura!" she called out, sluggishly sitting on the couch, sighing heavily. Ino smiled, happy that her father was supportive, knowing that she might not be alone after all.
He ruffled his own hair as he walked out of the bathroom and towards the kitchen. He poured himself some pre-made coffee and leaned on the counter. His guess was right; he wasn't able to bring himself to sleep. Her face, her expression when he said those words didn't get out of his head. He wanted to apologize, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He wanted to pick up the phone and dial her number, just to hear her voice.
But Gaara couldn't do it.
"Damn it" he said, taking a gulp from the cup, putting it on the counter, and walked towards his room when…
Knock, knock
He turned towards the door, narrowing his eyes. 'Who would come at such an early hour?' he thought as he walked towards the door. He realized that he was in his boxers and t-shirt, but he thought it would take too long to change into something decent.
"Coming!" he said, reaching for the doorknob and opening the door. He narrowed his eyes at the person on his doorstep.
"I see you're surprised to see me, now that I know your dirty little secret"
I didn't feel that this chapter was as good as the previous ones but I'll try to do my best next chapter.
So, who was at the doorway?! He-he
Please review and tell me what you think XD
