The ashes mostly likely belonged to a group of different animals. Although no bones were found to help perform a DNA analysis, one crematory location had reached out to police about the man. Days before he had gone shooting people by the hospital, he had dropped off his dead pets at a crematory. This bit of information was almost enough to allow Detective Anko conclude that the ashes sent to Ino weren't human.
She watched as the blonde sitting across her desk didn't seem convinced.
"...How can I make sure that he hasn't sent me anything else?"
"I checked the post offices that are in a fifty-mile radius from your home, and nothing has come up. My guess is that he sent you that to scare you,"
"Well, he's scared me more times than I wanted. Even though he's dead, I've become paranoid… I'm afraid of opening my own mail now… What if he sends me someone's teeth or something? And why me? He's treating me as if I was the one responsible for the plane crashing in the first place. Sometimes, I wish I had never went to work that day,"
"I know that this may feel like a never-ending nightmare," Anko said, "And I am no therapist, but you need to live your life to the fullest. I know that all of this will forever be ingrained in you, but you can't let it get to you."
Ino nodded at the advice while hoping that this would truly be the last time she would have to think about that man.
"You're right… It won't be easy, but I am ready to move on and put all of this behind me."
"Good," Anko said, "And if anything else shows up, don't hesitate to call us."
"Thank you, detective."
Grabbing her purse, Ino exited the police station. The feeling of relief swept through her body as she felt the end to this nightmare finally came. For the last week, she left the responsibility of checking the mail to Gaara. Sometimes, her mind would go to extreme ends, making her scared of her or Gaara opening an envelope and some finger falling out.
"No, stop it," Ino thought to herself, shaking her head, "I need to move on… He's dead… This is over…"
Taking a deep breath, she began making her way back home.
One Month Later
Ino's feet hurt, and she felt tired. Despite her recovery being on track, her body would sometimes feel more tired than usual. She took a seat next to Sakura as Sakura's mom and the lady in charge of the store continued to chat.
"Well, your dresses are here!" the overly enthusiastic store owner said, "how about we have everyone try them out with their heels?"
"Great idea," Sakura's mom replied, "How about we try with Sakura first? That way we make sure that her dress won't be too tight for her growing belly,"
The store owner nodded as she grabbed the piece of clothing from the rack. She walked behind the bride-to-be as Sakura entered one of the stalls.
Ino, Tenten, Temari, and Hinata waited outside while their friend changed.
"Can't believe that in one month, Sakura will be an Uchiha…" Ino said in disbelief, a tiny corner of her mind wondering how her name would sound like if her and Gaara married.
Wait! Too soon… too soon!
"Hm, makes me wonder who's next to get married," Temari said.
"Probably Hinata," Tenten teased, and the shy young woman simply smiled back at all of them, "Neji did tell me that his uncle wants to make sure that the family tree continues,"
Ino narrowed her teasing blue eyes towards the brunette, "If that's the case, wouldn't you also be at risk of being next? Mrs. Tenten Hyuuga?"
Tenten stilled for a moment, causing Ino and Temari to giggle. Tenten, who was probably the most courageous of them all, still had anxiety when it came to the topic of marriage and becoming a wife. Ino was never sure why her friend felt that way, but she figured that it probably had to do with the fact that Tenten was raised by men - a father and two male cousins. It wasn't until college that the brunette completely ditched her tomboy-ish looks and suddenly got the attention of a couple of males, including Neji Hyuuga.
"Alright, she's ready!" the store owner said, opening the door wide as Sakura stepped out.
"Wow, you look amazing!" Ino exclaimed, and her best friend returned the compliment with a smile.
"Thanks! And it's not even too tight or long."
"Are the shoes comfortable enough?"
"Yup!"
After a couple of twirls and "making sures" (mostly by her mother), Sakura went back to the dressing room to change as the store owner brought over the remaining dresses.
"And these are for the bridesmaids! Who's next?"
"Tenten should be next," Temari said teasingly, "Since she could be next walking down the aisle,"
The brunette groaned as she grabbed her dress and entered the stall Sakura had just exited. Almost five minutes later, she walked out of the stall wearing her dress and the high-heeled shoes.
"Wow, you look good!" Sakura exclaimed, and the other ladies nodded in agreement.
If there was one thing Ino admired about Tenten, it was the fact that her friend was dedicated to keeping herself healthy. She had lean muscles, toned stomach and ass. Ino thought about the hideous scar on her chest and wondered if her body will ever look as good as Tenten's.
"Surprised she didn't fall in those heels," Temari added and Sakura giggled, "But she looked great in that dress. I wonder if Neji will finally put a ringer on her finger,"
"With that dress on, he'll have to!" Sakura replied.
As Tenten exited the stall, it was Hinata's turn, followed by Temari's.
Now that it was her turn, Ino grabbed her dress and shoes and walked inside the stall. She took off her clothes and carefully put on the dress, making sure not to accidentally rip it. The piece was not cheap at all, and she did not want to pay for any damages.
As soon as she was finished putting on the piece of clothing, she glanced at herself in the mirror and frowned.
The dress was low cut from the front, and while it was beautiful, her eyes couldn't stop staring at the hideous scar on her chest.
No… This is too low… too low…
Ino took a deep breath as she grabbed the front of her dress and lifted it up slightly, wondering if sewing the front piece would help.
But as she imagined the front v-shaped piece being sewn, she knew that that would make the dress look unpleasant. And besides, what excuse would she give the tailor for her to adjust the dress? The dress fit her nicely, and hugged her curses graciously. If anything, the tailor would have to see her in the dress in order to see how many inches to sew.
Two soft knocks startled her as Sakura's mom spoke from the other side, "Ino, sweetie, everything OK in there?"
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine!" Ino mentally cursed as her voice broke, her eyes looking back at the scarring.
She thought about the limited options she had, and wondered if today was the day to tell Sakura that she couldn't be one of her bridesmaids.
But Ino quickly rejected that idea. Her best friend was pregnant, and had also been that man's target.
But I can't...do this… I feel… ugly…
"Hey Ino, are you done? Let us see your dress!" came Sakura's voice, and Ino covered her face with her hands.
"Sakura, I'm sorry… I think I may need another dress,"
"Why? It doesn't fit you?"
"No, it does. It's just that...it doesn't look good on me…"
"Huh? Let me see. Open the door."
"No, it's fine. I'll try on another-"
"Ino-pig, open the door and let me see!"
"Dammit Forehead, I said no-what are you doing?!"
Ino shrieked as she watched her friend poke her head in from underneath the stall's door.
"Sakura, get off the floor-"
"Open this door, Pig!"
Rolling her eyes, Ino opened the door and watched as Sakura stood up from the floor. Stepping inside the small changing room, Sakura raised an eyebrow as Ino had her arms crossed in front of her chest.
"Ino, let me see it,"
Looking away, the blonde unfolded her arms and waited for her friend to say something.
"You know you could've told me…" Sakura said gently, "I won't make you wear something that makes you uncomfortable,"
"I know, but I didn't want to disappoint you."
"Ino, you've been helping out with this wedding since the moment you woke up! How would I be disappointed, considering everything you've been through?"
Ino stared sadly at the floor underneath them. "...I...I didn't want to disappoint…"
Sakura shook her head and hugged her friend. "Ino, you're like my sister. If anything, I'm disappointed in myself for not asking if you wanted to do this after waking up. You were so eager about the wedding that I thought it was OK. But that was my mistake,"
"Don't feel bad about it. I do want to be part of it! It's just that...this dress-"
"What are you two chatting about in here without us?" Tenten asked with Hinata and Temari standing by her side.
Sakura gave a reassuring nod to her friend, who nodded in return, before inviting the three ladies into the already packed changing area.
"Is everything OK, Ino?" Hinata asked.
Sakura closed the door of the stall as Ino showed them the dress.
"...As you can imagine… I still have the scars from all of those surgeries… and… well… this dress doesn't really cover them…"
"I-Ino, you can have my dress," Hinata offered, "We're about the same size and my dress provides more coverage around the chest area."
"Hinata, no I can't do that. You looked so beautiful in it, and this one shows more cleavage than yours. I'm not sure if you'll be comfortable wearing this one,"
"D-Don't worry about me," Hinata said with a warm smile, "Showing some cleavage won't bother me. How about we try on each other's dresses to make sure it fits?"
Ino nodded at the idea, trying her best to not cry as Hinata went to grab her dress. Tenten, Temari, and Sakura exited the stall as Ino removed her dress and handed it over to Hinata as her friend gave hers in return. Almost impatiently, she put on the dress and looked at herself in the mirror. It was the same length as the one originally meant for her, and style as well. The only difference was the chest area. The silky fabric covered more of her chest area. And while it still showed some cleavage, the dress did a good job at concealing the scars.
Opening the stall, Ino stepped out and showed her friends.
"Looks fantastic on you!" Hinata said, and Ino glanced at how well her original dress fit her.
"Thanks, and you look great too!"
"I say we all wear our dresses and take some pictures."
Five minutes later, Sakura, Tenten, and Temari stepped out with their dresses.
"Mom, get the camera ready!" Sakura said as she stood in the middle, Temari and Hinata on her left and Tenten and Ino on her right.
"Here are some flowers you each can hold!" the store owner said, bringing out a couple of fake flowers.
"Oh, how lovely. Smile, ladies!"
The five of them smiled as Sakura's mother took several pictures of them, each one with different poses.
"We should have one where we throw the flowers up," Tenten suggested, and Sakura's mother nodded at the idea.
"I will count and at three, you ladies throw your flowers up. OK, one...two...three!"
The ladies threw the flowers a couple of feet into the air, giggling as only Tenten and Temari caught theirs back.
As they laughed and posed for more pictures (because Sakura's mother was suddenly feeling overwhelmed with joy at the fact that her only child was going to be married in one month), Ino felt a natural sense of joy. Her cheeks hurt from the laughter as Temari taught Hinata how to do a sexy pose (hips to the side, boobs up), but she didn't mind. She was genuinely happy, and that's all that mattered.
Author's note: Thanks for reviewing the last chapter! Now that that drama is over and Sakura's wedding is approaching, this story will lead towards a happier note! Andalsothere'safewchaptersleftuntilthisstoryisover.
BUT ANYWAYS!
HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED THIS QUICK CHAPTER AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THOUGHT IN A REVIEW!