Disclaimer: Don't own.

He was that guy.

The lone wolf that stood silently in the shadows of the dance floor. The one that kept to the outskirts of the festival, watching the beautiful colors of the paper lanterns and kimono clad women as they fluttered in the wind of dancing and general fun.

That was the first time he noticed that she was the wind.

Her hair was down from its usual ponytail, glistening like woven gold down her back in large continuous waves that ended mid thigh. He couldn't stop from staring as the golden locks swayed with the rest of her tiny body as her legs swayed to the music.

The whole Konoha Eleven was at the festival, an event that seemed so out of place since the battle between the Sand Village and the terrible Sasuke retrieval mission. Still, everyone had showed up with smiles and laughter.

The streets were overflowing with bodies as civilians and ninja made their way through to check out the many vendors and activities. Live bands were set up in the center underneath a covered spot in the central area of the village. The lively music carrying over their heads as the breeze picked it up.

That's where he followed her, watching as she gravitated towards the playing music as if she was on strings and they the puppeteers.

Her dress was surprisingly not purple, but a dark blue that seemed to shimmer around her knees as she walked beside Sakura. They seemed to have made up after the Chuuin Exams, even going as far as coming to the festival together.

Even though the pink haired was gorgeous in a short green dress that matched her eyes, he found his own glued to the blonde.

To him, she was the light of the whole event. Even as she ignored him and the others as the music picked up. He didn't even notice the calculating looks his sensei was giving him; too busy watching her twirl around laughing as they danced with the other girls. They seemed to have circled around her as they danced, as if by unconscious decision. As if they didn't have a choice.

He didn't blame them.

His fingers itched to form the jutsu that would send the jerk's own shadow to choke him; the only thing holding him back was the tiny hand on his knee underneath the table and the small shake of the head from his best friend.

"I think we should go to bed, it'll be a long day for Yori and we have to get up early to prepare for the ceremony and festival."

Nodding to Chouji's voice of reason, Ino watched as the burning light in Shikamaru's eyes slowly dimmed and died, feeling the tension under her hand melt away as he calmed down. Though she would never admit it out loud, the sight of seeing him get so uncharacteristically angry at a guy hitting on her, had her heart pounding away in her ears with something akin to feline satisfaction. The pain that usually accompanied the feeling strangely absent as he gently removed her hand before standing up.

Something felt wrong.

Chouji wasn't an idiot or unobservant. Sure he acted like food was the only thing that could catch his attention, but he did have priorities; like his family and friends. Shikamaru had been the first person outside of his family who saw beyond his chubby appearance and took him without asking any questions. Their friendship was easy and natural, like two puzzle pieces fitting together perfectly.

It was the most important relationship to him.

Then Ino was assigned to their group, bringing all her complexities. She was strong, beautiful and everything that Chouji knew he'd never want to have in a woman and he loved her instantly. Their friendship was rough at the beginning; he knew that she was envious of his free easy going lifestyle and he couldn't help but feel sorry for her because all of her beauty brought her some of the hardest obstacles that Chouji's ever seen.

He had watched with mixed feelings as the two most important people in his life flinted around eachother. The attraction was obvious to those who saw them together when they train, how his manner would get rebelliously slow and her anger would be quicker to explode. He also saw how Shikamaru would always take that extra second or unconsciously take a small step forward when the blonde was hurt.

He definitely remembered Ino's reaction when they both were in the hospital.

The unfamiliar sounds of beeping and humming woke him up. Groggily looking around, he was surprised to see the dark walls and numerous machines circling around his bed. Wait, bed? The last thing he remembered was reading the messages on the tree that the others had left for him. Where was he now?

It was a little discerning, he thought he'd be dead, especially after that last pill; the way his heart had twisted painfully, its rhythm erratic and slowing.

A very familiar screech had him scattering the dark thoughts as he tried to turn his head to the door.

"Don't bother, she'll be in here in a minute, how do you feel?"

The comforting lazy drawl was barely noticeable underneath the concern. Looking to the side, Chouji felt something inside his chest relax as he took in the scratched, tired but otherwise okay face of Shikamaru.

"Wha?"

Tilting his head, he became aware of just how much his body really did hurt. It felt like several very large boulders had crushed him from head to toe. Ouch.

"Medical ninjas got to you in time, the others are fine."

The normally impassive eyes were gone as he saw the pain of failure lurk beneath the hooded lids.

"LET ME IN DAMMIT!"

They both looked away from the other, unwilling to talk about it and watched as the doors flew open. A furious banshee stomped through before turning wildly and slamming the doors shut on the faces of several medics.

The hinges wobbled threateningly.

"Assholes!"

He had thought she was talking about the people outside the room and began to nod in agreement when her blood thirsty eyes were fixed on them.

"Ino?"

Before he could even blink, he was covered in silky blonde locks and angry tears.

"Don't EVER do that to me again okay! I was so…so.."

It was very unusual for the girl to let go of herself and show anyone how much she truly care and it left Chouji's already swarming head spinning. Looking over the muttering girl, he saw an unfathomable look flicker across his friends face.

"Ino, um…ow."

As quickly as before, she leapt away from the bed. Chouji blinked.

The normally beautiful face was gone, replaced with a pale looking person who had large black circles under her eyes and large red blotches over her cheeks from crying. The look of unwanted vulnerability that Chouji saw in her eyes was so powerful that he almost felt like looking away, because they weren't looking at him.

Not wanting too but unwilling to stop, he found himself also looking over at the still figure sitting in a chair by his bed.

Shikamaru wasn't looking at him or anywhere else, everything that radiated from him seemed to be locked on the trembling figure in front of them. His sleepless eyes were riddled with the emotions that didn't make it to his face as the two stare at each other. It was almost sick to see and Chouji tore his eyes away from the painful sight, noticing the clenched fist in his friend's lap.

It really was agonizing to watch the two. He couldn't remember when the two had crossed from being teammates to becoming friends. Nor could he remember when they had melted from friends into the area of wanting more but not allowing to have more.

Moments like this always were painful.

The minutes stretch before Ino took a small step towards the statue, new tears leaking out of her eyes.

"I almost los-"

He always wondered if Shikamaru cut the sentence off on purpose, to keep the situation from entering into lands where things could be permanently damaged. It hadn't mattered though; the message had been put out there, almost as obvious as Shikamaru restraining himself as he gently put his hands on her cheeks, thumbs vaguely brushing the tears away as they looked into each other's eyes. It had been like that since the exams, he'd never really touched her, as if she was taboo.

Feeling distinctively like an outsider but determinedly unwilling to interrupt the intense moment, Chouji let his tired eyes droop shut. Letting the weariness take over, he barely caught the whispered words as he drifted off.

"Never."


A/N: Oi, I really liked how that last part turned out. Made my toes curl, lol… Well it wasn't much as a gainway chapter, but Chouji wanted the spotlight for a bit.