It's Too Late

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Naruto series, Konoha, Shikamaru, Ino, or anyone else involved or relating to Naruto.

Summary:
Ino Yamanaka is loud and annoying member of Team 10; which annoyed a certain lazy chunin to no end. But when the death of the Yamanaka's parents forces her to live with the Naras, and changes Ino's personality. There is no one he wanted more than that exact loud and annoying member.

Chapter 8: Don't Leave Me

"Hey"
Ino glanced up with her new body. A ninja walked out from darkness of a distant house.
"Where have you been?"
Ino walked over to the ninja. "Sorry. Just scared off some Konoha ninja, pathetic bunch."
"You didn't kill them?"
"I was just looking for a fight; I wanted to taste their blood. But they legged it fast, as soon as they saw me, didn't even get a chance. They were young, genin maybe? They must have known they had no chance…" Ino continued.
"Must have been returning from a mission, maybe. You shouldn't cause commotion unless you finish the job." The ninja replied.
He meant kill them. Ino knew immediately, these ninja didn't want to mess with Konoha directly, just tease them, and stir them a little with attacking surrounding small villages; maybe they didn't expect word to get to Konoha? But that would be presumptuous. This group was out for pointless kicks, thrills, and death. She knew their type by the two ninjas she had met immediately by their body language, and how they talked.
"Regardless, let's get back. Boss apparently found some pretty good stuff on these villagers. Gonna be good to sell." The ninja commented, before turning and dashing into the forest heading further north.
Ino followed not far behind, within moments Shikamaru also following, a soulless Ino in his arms, his moves still stealthy as he carried her carefully.

The Ino possessed ninja, and rogue ninja arrived at the base of a cliff, the ninja in front of Ino raising his hands with a handsign. "Release."
Ino's eyes widened. A genjutsu hiding a hide out, that would require a ninja constantly arming the genjutsu, constantly sucking chakra. That's… pretty amazing.
She glanced back not seeing Shikamaru, she assumed he would wait there, as she followed the ninja into the now appeared cave.
The ninja accompanying Ino glanced back. "You're surprisingly quiet."
The Yamanaka panicked, pulling a kunai slowly to her mouth licking the blade. "Sorry… just remembering those I've killed." She replied. "Tasty…"
The ninja laughed. "You're a freak, you know." He turned back to staring straight ahead.
Ino poked her tongue out, a face of disgust as she put away the kunai. Disgusted by what she had to do.
She entered a wide opening in the cave, it ended her. Many barrels laid against the wall, and multiple items, general items, stolen items. Computers, jewellery, ninja tools, items they could sell.
She shook her head, as a ninja walked out of the darkness.
"What took you?"
Ino's eyes widened, the boss? It was female with long brown hair, bright blue eyes, she looked friendly… how could she be so sinister?
"Sorry"
"Well it seems like someone followed you." The girl replied.
Ino's eyes widened. "What?"
Within a moment, a ninja with his kunai to Shikamaru's neck walked in with Shikamaru obliging, another ninja with Ino over their shoulder.
Shit.
Shikamaru frowned looking around, counting the ninja, was a total of five.
The lead woman walked over to Ino's lifeless body. "Looks familiar… quite familiar, didn't we kill her already?"
Ino in her possessed body hands tightened. It couldn't be. It just couldn't. Her mother?
"Another ninja of Konoha. Mind possessing abilities looked similar to this girl, and the male aswell. All konoha ninja, maybe she was out for revenge. Family or something."
Within a moment, Ino dashed at the ninja holding her body, slashing him through his stomach with a kunai.
"RELEASE" She yelled.
Ino returned to her body, as the ninja she just slashed dropped her body, and fell to the ground, blood spilling over the dirt floor, the smell of blood and death filling the room.
The blonde back in her own body stood up slowly, her eyes cold and glazed over, pure hatred burning.
"You killed my parents. Why?" She questioned coldly.
"We merely wanted to rob the house they were in. They put up an admirable fight… infact the ninja you possessed was involved, he threw kunai in their dead bodies for fun." The woman replied to Ino.
Ino breathed deeply, clenching her teeth. "You're dead. Simple." The Yamanaka said before shrugging, as she dashed at the female ninja.
Ino threw a punch, being easily dodged, the female seemingly teasing her, a smug smile on her face. "Aiming a bit high, honey. You have three ninjas surrounding you, then me aswell. You can't focus on the strongest and expect to win, can you?" She teased.
A kunai drilled into Ino's skin from behind her.
"INO." Shikamaru yelled as blood spilled from her.
The ninja restraining Shikamaru dropped to the ground, the small amount of shadows being controlled by the Nara, surrounding the Ninja's body, and choking away his life.
Ino let out a small cry, before coughing as the pain hit her. She looked up at the female ninja, sensing the ninja behind her also, she kicked the ninja behind her, not even looking using the feel of their chakra as a guide, then grabbing her own kunai and trying to stab the female who blocked it with her own kunai.
Ino bounced back after the block, behind the ninja she just sent to the floor, using the kunai to stab them in the neck, as Shikamaru threw a punch at the original ninja they met, the psychotic ninja.
The psychotic ninja, dodged with a smirk. "I had fun throwing kunai in their body, honestly."
Shikamaru shook his head as he threw a kunai, and a kick. The kunai and kick both hitting, Ino threw a kunai also hitting the psychotic ninja, as the female leader stood watching her team fall.
"Pathetic whelphs." The woman commented.
"You alright, Ino?" Shikamaru asked, as Ino nodded before throwing a couple of kunai into the downed psychotic ninja.
"Ino, he's done."
"I know." She replied grimly, stabbing a kunai strongly into his body.
Shikamaru watched as his friend fell apart, it was disgusting, she was a monster right now.
"I suppose you wish for me to fight?" The female ninja said smugly.
"Stay out of this, Shikamaru. She did this to my parents. She's getting downed by me, just back me up if I need it."
"But Ino--"
"Shutup, and listen to me." The blonde replied. "You interfere, and I will never forgive you."
"I won't forgive myself if something happens to you." Shikamaru replied.
"Exactly. Back me up, don't get involved unless necessary."
"Fine…" Shikamaru replied softly.
Ino walked closer to the female. "Ready to die?"
The female ninja smiled. "I don't know. Are you?"
Ino slashed at the female, whose body was replaced by water.
"Water user." Shikamaru commented.
The water rose from the dirt behind Ino. "Pathetic girl…" She whispered into Ino's ear.
Ino flipped backwards landing behind the female ninja, who's body had turned watery by this point before Ino even attacked. "What…?" The blonde questioned as the water began to shake, before spluttering forth.
"Ninja Art. Water Senbon."
Senbon exploded from inside the water, multiple needs piercing into Ino's skin. The blonde fell onto the dirt floor, panting as she pulled each needle out of her.
"You've got a lot of will." The female ninja said appearing again.
"You're a wuss, all this… water clones…" Ino replied struggling, she pulled a couple of paper bombs throwing them at the woman, exploding within an instant, shaking the cave but not causing much damage to the cave, the dirt screen that the explosion caused cleared revealing wet ground.
"Another damn clone." Ino commented standing up.
Shikamaru frowned. "Ino, if you keep using paper bombs in here, you're gonna bring down the cave."
Ino pulled another senbon out of her skin as the ninja appeared in front of her.
"Smell it?" Ino asked as the female ninja's eyes darted around.
"Perfume…?" The ninja replied.
Ino nodded as she stood up, cherry blossoms flying around the female ninja, pulling her into the floor.
"Your done for now."
Ino pulled a paper bomb from her pouch throwing it into the air. "Enjoy."
The blonde walked away from the ninja, who struggled to move, Shikamaru also walking out of the cave with Ino, the paper bomb exploding as multiple rocks fell from the top of the cave onto the ninja.
"What was that…?" Shikamaru questioned.
"Genjutsu." Ino replied.
Shikamaru frowned. "Ino… what you did in there. Was disgusting."
Ino turned to Shikamaru, leaning close to him, her lips inches away from his. "It's alright…"
Shikamaru shook his head. "It isn't, Ino… your going… crazy."
Ino pushed her lips to Shikamaru, the boy's eyes widening as his feelings for Ino amplified, he truly did want Ino to be his, all the time he spent with her, he knew why he wanted the normal Ino back now, he really truly cared for her. But this Ino, wasn't her.
The boy pushed Ino away from him. "Ino. This isn't you."
"Shut up , Shikamaru!" Ino screamed. "You don't know me! I had to! For my parents!"
"But stabbing that dead body… was gruesome."
Ino frowned as she looked back into the cave, not many rocks had fell, she saw the ninja girl knocked out. "Well watch this."
Ino walked to the female ninja who had burns across her body, and bleeding from her mouth from a rock hitting her.
The blonde threw three kunai into the body, being replaced by water. "What…"
She heard Shikamaru let out a yell of pain, turning around to see Shikamaru drop to the floor multiple kunai in his body, blood leaking from everywhere. So much blood.
"Sh…Shikamaru!!" Ino screamed as she ran out to see the female ninja, the ninja bleeding from her mouth and burnt, her good looks now gone from the burns across her once beautiful face.
The female ninja laughed, before letting out a cough of blood falling to the ground.
Ino let out a sob as she ran over to Shikamaru, the boy's eyes looks glazy. "Shikamaru." She said softly as she crouched next to him.
"You'll be alright, Shikamaru. Alright. It's… me again, alright… Please forgive me, please."
Shikamaru opened his mouth, only letting out a muffled breathing sound.
"You can't speak…? Shikamaru. Please, I am really sorry. You're not gonna die, alright. This woman can't take away everyone I love, okay?"
Ino pulled the kunai from Shikamaru's body, and stretched her hands out, a green glow and soft soothing sound filling the atmosphere.
"N-no…" Ino said softly, letting a small sob out.
The wounds from the kunai began to close up, although that wasn't the problem.
The kunai… they've reached so deep, they've hit vital organs… four… no five… six. It's… just like Asuma sensei… that woman… she… used water pressure to propel the kunai further… it's just like Asuma sensei. Shikamaru… I'm so sorry. I can't… fix this… I'm not as strong as Lady Tsunade… she's the only one… who could fix this… I'm sorry… I'm not strong like her.
Shikamaru's hand shook as he placed it on Ino's hand, pushing it down to stop Ino trying to heal him. The boy knew that no matter what Ino did from here on would be of any use.
"Shikamaru… I don't want you to leave me. Please don't." Ino said softly as she lowered her head to his chest, letting out a couple of sobs.
"I don't know what to do… help me… you're smart…"


Cliffhanger to the max :D … I reckon lol. The story is coming to an end though, around… oh who knows how many chapters left, 3-5 chapters left? … May change but in my head that's about how long it will go for, depends how I pace the rest of the story,
Thanks for the people reading, thanks a lot for the review :P
Drives me to write more, so please review.