Ino couldn't remember the last time she went on a vacation. But one thing was for sure - it was time for one and she was glad that she would be taking it with Gaara. The idea had come from him shortly after Sakura's wedding, and it had surprised her. Not only because it would be their very first vacation as a couple, but he had also purchased the plane tickets and resort for those five days.
"Gaara, I can also pay for myself! Let me at least pay you my share,"
"No," he said with a shake of his head, "This is something I've been thinking about for months. I wanted to make sure you were physically better and done with the wedding."
"Fine, let me pay for all of our food then-"
"Food's already included with the resort. It's an all-inclusive."
Ino gaped at him in disbelief, "Gaara, how much did you pay for all of this?"
"Doesn't matter,"
"Yes it freaking does!"
"..."
"Fine then, don't tell me. But the rental car is on me!"
"...I already paid for the rental…"
After much back and forth in regards to the spending, Ino gave up. Instead, she looked forward to the trip.
The destination was Hawaii, primarily the main island. As soon as they had exited the airport and made their way to the rental car facility, Ino felt the island's warmth tickle her skin.
After picking up the small SUV rental, Gaara had driven them towards the resort.
The resort was a large, 30-story building situated right on the beach. In addition, it had various amenities: a game room with pool table, movie theater, fitness center, bar, and a large pool area.
Their room was on the 29th floor, which allowed them to get a gorgeous view of the city and beach. The room had a king size bed, large flatscreen TV, shower and bathtub, and mini fridge. Excited that their trip had officially begun, Ino threw herself on the bed, enjoying the complimentary snacks laid out on the bed.
The rest of the day consisted of them enjoying the amenities provided by the resort (pool table, games, and drinks) before taking a walk by the beach.
Their second day consisted of a long hike up a dormant volcano, something Gaara had been looking forward to. And even though Ino knew that her body would be sore the next day, she knew that Gaara enjoyed this type of activity. They both prepared for the strenuous hike, which was no more than five miles getting to the top. Nonetheless, the steep climb became a challenge, more for her than him.
Thirty minutes into their hike and Ino's legs had started protesting, prompting her to sit on the ground and massage them. After five minutes of resting, they hiked for another twenty before she demanded for another break.
Overall, it took them an hour and a half before reaching the top of the volcano. The top presented them with a wide view of the island, and Ino had to admit that despite the steep tiring climb, it was truly worth it. Taking her phone out, she took several pictures, including selfies of her and Gaara.
"Make sure to drink enough water," he took out a bottle from the bag he carried and handed it to her, "It is easy to become dehydrated in this area. How are you feeling?"
"My legs are killing me. How are you not tired?"
"I am, but I am used to pushing myself. Hiking down will be easier,"
Twenty minutes later, the couple hiked down the volcano. Although hiking down was easier, the fact that her legs felt wobbly and tired made her slip and almost fall a couple of times.
They grabbed a quick lunch before heading back to their hotel room, both of them sweaty and tired from the strenuous activity.
"I don't think I have energy to do anything else," she said walking out of the shower, wearing a long t-shirt with panties underneath.
He nodded in agreement, his hair still wet from his shower, as she laid down next to him. He gave her sore legs a small massage as she drifted off to sleep.
With the previous day's hike still affecting their bodies, Ino and Gaara decided to stay by the beach on the third day.
Gaara sat by the edge bed, wearing dark gray trunks and red t-shirt, as he waited for Ino to come out of the bathroom.
Ino loved the bikini. It was a two-piece she had not worn in a while. It was purple and, she must admit, tiny. She remembered her father's expression when she first wore it, and how he almost threw it out the trash one night. She was glad that her mother had been there to stop him, citing that Ino was a growing young woman and there was nothing wrong with showing a little skin.
But right now, she mentally kicked herself for not bringing a different type of swimsuit. Even though the two-piece highlighted her curves, it also displayed the hideous scar between her breasts. Despite some portions of it becoming faded, mostly around the edges, the center of it still remained prominent. She knew that it would take many more months for it to completely fade away.
"I'll just put my feet in the water then," she said while putting on a black t-shirt and then exiting.
"I'm ready!"
Gaara glanced at her, his eyebrow raising at the overly large shirt she wore.
"Will you be comfortable in that?"
"Yup! Besides, I won't be getting into the water much. I...don't feel like swimming,"
"Why?"
It took her a couple of seconds to respond. "Hm...I just...don't feel like it."
The look he gave her highlighted his disbelief, and Ino should've known that Gaara could read her like an open book. She could sense the tension rising, and knew that this time, Gaara wasn't going anywhere until he got the answers he needed.
"Ino, I know there is something going on… Something is bothering you," he walked towards her, prompting her to walk backwards until her back hit the wall. He placed his hands on either side of her head, teal eyes narrowing. "I know that something is bothering you...has been since you first came home from the hospital. With you healing, and then the wedding, I know that things weren't easy. And I didn't want to pressure you into doing something that made you uncomfortable."
She didn't respond, trying to avoid his gaze but Gaara grabbed her chin and made her look back at him.
"Why won't you tell me what's going on?"
"...I...It's just...it's not easy…"
"Why? Are you afraid of something?"
Was she afraid of something? She was, actually. And not just one thing, but multiple. The scar in the middle of her chest was a daily reminder of her fears.
He cupped her face upon seeing her hesitation, the act prompting her to unleash the tears she had been trying to withhold for the last couple of minutes. The anguish had become too much. Gaara pulled her forward and allowed her to cry on his chest, her hot tears smearing against his shirt as he stroked the back of her head.
They stood in that position for some time, her crying and him giving her his warmth. The fact that the conversation was happening in the middle of their vacation didn't bother him at all. As a matter of fact, he was looking forward to getting her out of the apartment and city in order to give her something new and understand what was going on in her mind.
He looked down at her as she rubbed her eyes and sniffed, using her t-shirt to remove the tear marks. Her sobbing subdued, however she continued to hug him as if her life depended on it.
"...I...I'm afraid of failing...of killing someone by accident… Tsunade tells me that it was no one's fault… Even the court ruled on our side! B-But...what if...I did mess up and there's no way to prove it? What if my mistake caused that little girl to die?"
"How can you be certain that you even made a mistake?"
"I...am not sure…"
"Then why are you blaming yourself for what happened, if nobody else is? And the person who was...is rightfully gone."
She shook her head, biting her bottom lip. "My chest…. Gaara…. Everytime I look at it, I think about everything. How it all started...and how it cascaded down to me being shot!"
Gaara watched as she took a step back and removed her shirt. The fabric hit the floor, and there was a silence between the two of them. His eyes landed on the scar in the middle of her chest. It was reddish-pinkish color, and extended from the top of her breasts to the center of her stomach. He suddenly understood why she always wore large t-shirts to bed, and why she had stopped their session days ago during the wedding.
"I don't think I'll ever get rid of it," she said, "Every day I look at it… Did you know that Hinata and I switched dresses just so no one could even see an inch of this? Look at how hideous it is! It looks like… It looks like…"
"A mark that shows you survived," he replied for her, "It shows that at the end of the day, he wasn't able to kill you. He's dead, but you're not. You're here with your family, friends...and me,"
Ino blinked as he stepped closer to her, smiling as he lightly traced his index finger over her scar. His touch made her feel different sets of emotions - uncertainty, nervousness, and happiness.
"What if it never goes away? Doesn't it disgust you? Or make you feel-AAH!"
A gasp fell out of her lips the moment her back hit the mattress. She sat up but was quickly pushed down as his body traveled over hers. She was ready to ask him why he had thrown her on the bed when his lips touched her neck before traveling down to her scar, leaving a sense of bewilderment and excitement coursing through her body.
"G-Gaara, what are you doing?" she asked, her hand instantly holding the back of his head as his kisses traveled back up to her face.
"About to have sex with you,"
"Wh-What?! Did you not hear everything I just said?"
"Yeah,"
Staring at the ceiling, she blinked several times as she felt his fingers toy with the strings of her bikini.
"A-Aren't you...disgusted...by the scar?"
"Nope. With all of the surgeries you had, I figured you would have some scars. Do you think that some scars are going to stop me from loving you? Do you not see how much I love you? Ino, I've had feelings for you before all of this. When you were in a coma, I constantly dreamt of you… Making love to you… Having a future with you… My only regret was not acting sooner and protecting you. And now that I have you here, in my arms, you think I'm going to let you go over some scars?"
Ino saw as he smiled down at her, realizing that this was one of the few times Gaara was actually talkative. Her self-esteem had taken a hit the moment she woke up, and she knew that it would be a while before she would be that same confident young woman from a year ago. Raising herself to her elbows, Ino gave him a deep kiss before pulling back and smirking.
"So...you had wet dreams about me?"
She expected him to become shy, and possibly turn away, but he didn't. Instead, he began to undo the strings of her bikini.
"I'm not ashamed to admit that yes, I've had multiple dreams in which I had sex with you… Nothing but sex."
The way he said it made her more turned on, prompting her to adjust herself so he was lying between her legs. She felt her face heat up as the next set of words left her mouth.
"I...I...guess it's time we finish what we've...been trying to start?"
His response was him taking his shirt off and throwing it across the room, and Ino couldn't help herself but lean upwards and nibble on his neck. Her hands grabbed the top of his trunks before a sudden realization hit her.
"Wait, Gaara. We didn't bring any condoms-"
"I did," he said, fetching his wallet and pulling the small packet out.
"Wow, so you even had this planned as well," she said in a sexual tone.
He didn't respond to her, opting to show and do to her everything he had in mind.
Beach plans aside, they spent the next hour making love. With their bodies and feelings connected, a sense of joy pulsed through them upon reaching final bliss; finally filling in the gap for their requited love.
Author's Note: Quick chapter as we approach the ending to this story.
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