-We Will Never Part-

Disclaimer: I own no recognizable content.

-Chapter Thirty-Six-

-Spill the Beans-

Hinata sat with her fingers intertwined, her hands and arms making a little table on which she rested her chin. She stared intently, her mind a whir with strategy. This was do or die. One wrong move at this moment and all her hard work would be for naught. She had to be very careful with what she did next.

"Knight to E5," she finally spoke, moving the small, horse-shaped piece to the correct square on the board. She then carefully studied the board, trying to guess her opponent's next moves and parry them with her own. Hinata loved chess; she saw it as her release. She was normally quiet, reserved, but with a chessboard in front of her she could be ruthless and blood thirsty. Any anger or immense sadness she felt could always be released through a good game of chess.

"Uh, this pointy hat guy…" Kiba spoke hesitantly, placing his finger on top of the piece he wanted to move. He then looked up at Hinata, waiting for her help in naming the piece.

"Bishop."

"Right. Bishop. Okay, Bishop to, uh, over here." Kiba carefully picked up the piece and moved it right about two spaces. Hinata tried to hide the absolute glee that overtook her being. He'd just left his king undefended and right in the path of her queen!

"Check mate!" Hinata cried triumphantly. She moved her queen across the board until it was right in front of Kiba's king. She then delicately knocked the piece over, trying not to enjoy the moment too much. After all, Kiba had never played chess before; beating him had been easy. She shouldn't feel the same sense of accomplishment and the same thrill she got besting him as she did when defeating Sakura. The rosette was nearly a chess champion; Kiba was barely a rookie.

"This is a stupid game," Kiba responded frustrated. He pushed his chair back from the table and stood. He walked over to the large fridge and began digging through it. All the while, Kiba was angrily muttering under his breath. Hinata saw her chance and pounced.

"So, my mom left quite mysteriously today. I wonder why she keeps doing that," Hinata spoke, her voice soft and innocent. Even though Kiba had his head in the fridge, Hinata still avoided looking right at him. Instead, she let her gaze flit around the room, worried that looking at him would throw her off her plan.

"Some appointment, probably," Kiba muttered. He spoke quietly, almost like he meant to say it under his breath. It was also sandwiched between grumbles about their 'stupid, idiotic chess game.' He obviously hadn't meant for Hinata to hear it, but she most definitely did.

Hinata felt a triumphant grin cross her face. It had been about a week since her confession/ rejection, and in that time, she'd turned her focus from Kiba as a potential love interest to Kiba as a potential source of information. She'd gone into full on strategy mode, observing and analyzing all of Kiba's behaviour, mannerisms, and quirks for one she could exploit. It was the same process she used when playing chess against an unfamiliar opponent and it hadn't failed her yet.

It was through this observation that Hinata noticed Kiba's tendency to mutter under his breath when he was frustrated or upset. With some trial and error, Hinata then discovered she could use his cowed mumblings to pump him for information. She couldn't ask him a direct question; that was far too obvious and Kiba would quickly clue in and stop muttering. However, if she simply mused aloud, Kiba was more than willing to mumble a response.

She'd discovered this by asking and musing about various ice cream parlours, stores, and brands, and was a little worried that Kiba was finding her a little obsessed. But if it led to real answers, a lifting of the cloud of secrecy that surrounded her mom, she didn't really care that much.

"An appointment? That's a little strange. I didn't think my mom was sick or anything," Hinata pressed on. She began to fiddle with several of the pawns she'd captured, attempting to release some of the nervous energy that was building within her.

"She hides it pretty well," Kiba murmured, still digging through the fridge.

'She hides it well?' Hinata thought incredulously. Her fiddling with the chess pieces stopped as a wave of realisation, followed closely by a wave of nausea overcame her. 'Is mom actually sick?'

"Kiba," Hinata squeaked. She was far too nervous and nauseated to manage any more. "Kiba," Hinata spoke his name again, a little more forcefully. Finally, Kiba turned and looked at her. She wasn't sure what her face looked like, what expression she was showing, but it couldn't have been good based on Kiba's reaction.

When he turned and saw her, his face went pale and the jug of expensive organic juice he had pulled from the fridge hit the ground. Juice flew everywhere, but Hinata ignored it. Instead, she stared right at Kiba.

"Kiba," Hinata spoke, her tone pleading. She leaned closer to him, "Kiba, is my mom sick?"

Hinata was almost positive every part of her being screamed out desperate, but she needed answers. Now more than ever. Despite this, Kiba remained silent and looked down at the ground where the spilled juice was pooling.

"Kiba, please. I need to know if my mom is sick! I don't care what she said. If she begged, promised, or bribed you to keep you quiet! You need to tell me! Please!" Hinata could tell her voice was becoming more and more hysterical with each word that she spoke. She could also clearly feel the tears welling up in her eyes.

After several long seconds, Kiba looked up. The sight of her, desperate, nearly hysterical, and on the verge of tears, must have been enough for him. It outweighed whatever consequence or benefit that had kept him silent up until that point.

As he spoke, he looked right in her eyes, imploring her to understand just how much he hadn't wanted to lie to her about it all.

"She is sick, Hinata. Really sick. She has terminal cancer."

From: Hyuuga Hinata (lil_miss_sunshine)

To: Hyuuga Hiashi (Hiashi)

Sent: Friday, July 28; 2:29 pm

Subject:

Mom's sick. Cancer.

I can't stay here.

Did you know?

"Is that why you're failing math? To ensure that we still think you're human?" Shikamaru playfully, and a little flirtingly, ribbed Ino. She chuckled at his words and was just about to respond with a flirty comment of her own when a loud, brash voice sounded above the rest of the regular restaurant din.

Ino froze. This could not be happening. Not now!

As stealthily as she could, Ino shot a look over her shoulder in the direction of the voice. Then she slouched down in her chair, trying to disappear, trying not to be seen. Shikamaru shot her an odd look at her actions, but Ino didn't respond. She was too worried that her voice might alert the previous speaker to her presence.

She recognized his voice as soon as he'd spoken, but a part of her didn't believe it could be him. Sachi. Her hulking, football playing, womanizing ex-boyfriend. They'd dated for the quickest month and a half just before summer and Ino had regretted the whole thing almost as soon as they started it. However, she let it drag on to see if things would get better. When they finally broke up, Ino felt a profound sense of freedom.

However, Sachi didn't seem to take too kindly to the break up and had taken to following Ino around, trying to win her back. It had forced Ino into a sort of hiding to avoid Sachi. And, up until that point, she'd been very good at it. School and work had kept her otherwise occupied from frequenting her usual locales, until today.

And in walked Sachi.

"I think we should go," Ino spoke, her tone hushed. "Someone I'd rather not see just walked in. And my shift at the flower shop will be starting soon." Ino then dug into her purse and pulled out enough cash to cover their meal.

"Oh, okay. Yeah," Shikamaru responded, obviously sad at the rather abrupt ending to their date. At his response, Ino felt sad herself and almost considered suggesting they could stay. Then a large meaty hand was harshly clapped onto her shoulder.

"Ino! What are you doing here?" Sachi asked, his tone faux-cheery. He then turned and sized up Shikamaru, "And what are you doing here with him? How about you come join me for lunch, babe?"

Ino tensed and her expression hardened. Sachi's hand closed tightly on her shoulder. However, with a well-practiced move, Ino shrugged it off and moved around to face him. Sachi was towering over Ino, his hands hovering over her sides in a very possessive manner, and he was staring down at Shikamaru.

"Sachi, Shikamaru and I already had a perfectly nice lunch without you. Now, we are preparing to leave, so, unfortunately, we can't take you up on your offer. And, I'd really like to never see you again." Ino spoke with a sickly-sweet tone and a fake smile plastered on her face. She then tried to move passed the towering figure that was Sachi. However, he stepped to the side blocking her progress.

"I can't believe you, Ino," Sachi spoke focusing his intense, angry gaze on Ino. His voice was low, and he spoke through gritted teeth. "Going out with another guy? You really are a whore."

Rage filled Ino's entire being. her vision went red and her face began to burn. Of their own accord, her fists clenched, and her muscles tightened. She was just about to lash out, to scream and hit and punch. However, before she could make a move, the loud sound of skin contacting skin reverberated throughout the restaurant and Sachi toppled over a few steps. He tried to steady himself on a nearby table but slipped and landed flat on his butt.

Before Ino could process what was happening any more than that, she felt someone grab her hand and pull her away from the scene. She was about to protest when she realised it was Shikamaru, a slightly crazed look in his eyes, who was pulling her along.

From: Fashionable piggy (littlemisspiggy)

To: Cherry Blossom (xxvery_cherryxx); Hyuuga Hinata (lil_miss_sunshine); Bear-chan (10.10i-score-ebery-time10.10)

Sent: Friday, July 25; 3:12 pm

Subject: The beast returneth

Hey girlies!

I went out to lunch with Shikamaru today. It went fantastically and we both had a fantastic time. Except for right at the end. Just as we were finishing up, Sachi turned up.

What happened next is still a bit of a blur. All I'm sure about it that he called me a whore and ended up on his ass. I'm still processing it all, but once I've got it right in my head, I'll fill you in.

You know you love me,

Ino

They didn't stop running until they were several blocks away from the restaurant. By then, Ino's sides were splitting and her lungs were burning; she wasn't about to take another step until she had some holes filled in. Exhausted, confused, and a little irritated from the encounter with her ex, Ino slightly harshly pulled her hand from Shikamaru's.

No longer supported by Shikamaru, she doubled over, with her hands on her knees. Her breathing was laboured so when she spoke, her words came out between deep inhales and exhales.

"What," breath, "happened?" She didn't look up as she spoke, too tried to move even a little.

"That guy, Sachi," Shikamaru almost spat out the name, "I hate that guy. And then, when he said such vile things about you. Well, I just couldn't control myself anymore. So I-" Instead of saying the words, Shikamaru mimed punching.

Something clicked in Ino's mind and she bolted upright. "You punched him?! You punched him so hard it knocked him on his ass? You punched one of the most active, athletic, built people at school and were able to get the better of him?"

Shikamaru went beat red and began sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. He wouldn't meet Ino's incredulous expression, instead looking everywhere else.

"That's amazing! Thank you!" Ino exclaimed. She paused for only the briefest moments to consider her actions, then went forward with it anyway. Shikamaru might not be as appreciative of the action, but Ino was buzzing from all of the events and needed to do something.

Almost as fast as a flash of lightning, Ino closed the gap between her and the extremely sheepish Shikamaru. She wrapped her arms around his lean frame, pulling herself in tight. Without much thought, she buried her face in his chest and breathed in his scent, a slight salty sweat smell combined with a crisp lemon that must have been his body wash or shampoo.

A warm comfortable feeling settled over Ino. 'This feels right,' she thought before begrudgingly letting him go.

"Well, we should get to the flower shop." And without another word, the pair walked off down the street.

-To be continued-