AsnGothic: Ok, so to start off, for chapter four, someone
told me they were interested to find out Sakura's plan. I
wasn't really planning on getting her involved, but I
guess I could give her an important role in this story. I
also forgot about the locket in some chapters, so I guess
this would be a good opportunity to strike two things I
forgot. Also, I wrote chapter four and five at the same
time, so I didn't get a chance to answer your reviews.
When this story is over, I'll add a chapter with the
answers. I'll do that for a lot of my fanfics. Anyways,
on with the fanfics!
Kasumi: You forgot to mention you didn't own anything.
AsnGothic: Silly, I don't have to unless I'm starting a new fanfic and - Kasumi? You're back?
Kasumi: Yep. XD
AsnGothic: Oh noooooooo...!!!
~
/Ding dong!/
"I'm coming!" An older feminine voice called. Shikamaru rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet, waiting impatiently for someone to come to the door. Strangely, his feet led him back to Ino's house, where he was yesterday. He still felt a tingle from that moment. The door creaked open and revealed an older woman's face. She slightly resembled Ino.
"Hello! Can I help you - " She looked up and down his body, "Shikamaru?"
"Umm...can I see Ino?" The woman's face lost a little bit of her sparkle.
"I'm sorry, but Ino is sick in bed. She's caught a bit of a cold." Shikamaru felt a pang in his heart. She had caught a cold? Why did he feel guilty about this? Oh yeah...he took Ino out the other day to an ICE pond where she sneezed and slipped. "likes visitors..."
"Hmm, what?"
"Would you like to visit Ino? She likes visitors."
Shikamaru already felt guilty enough. "No, it's ok. I think I'll wait until she's better."
'Oh, the boy doesn't want to catch a cold.' "Sure, she'll be out soon, I promise."
Shikamaru nodded as he left Ino's porch. His eyes narrowed as he passed Sakura, who was going in the direction Shikamaru was a few minutes ago.
"Good morning, Sakura."
"Hello, Shikamaru."
"What are you doing at Ino's house?"
"I should be asking you that." Sakura answered. "Are you dating?" She asked, laughing. Shikamaru blushed slightly.
"N-no, of course not." He walked faster down the street. Sakura chuckled slowly.
The doorbell of the Yamanaka's rung again as Ino's mom opened the door, having already been there a few seconds ago.
"Shikamaru? Oh, Sakura."
"Hello, Mrs. Yamanaka. Is Ino here?"
"Umm...she's sick in bed, I'm afraid."
"Oh, that's ok. Can I visit her?"
"Of course! Come in, come in...." Ino's mom invited her in, waving her arms. Sakura slipped off her shoes as she looked inside the familiar building. "Ino is upstairs in her room...you should know where it is." As little children, Sakura and Ino used to come over to each other's house everyday. When Sakura had started liking Sasuke, she changed their daily routine. Sakura nodded while Ino's mom waved her arms to lead her up to the stairs. Sakura followed gratefully, sliding her hands on the rail.
She looked bewildered at Ino's house. It was a long time since she had been up there...yet, she still remembered it slightly. She reached Ino's door and took a deep breath. Then she knocked quietly, her heart bumping the loudest.
A sneeze made Sakura a little more comfortable. "Who is it?"
"Sakura."
A long silence came in between them before Ino answered again,
"Go away."
"Your mom said you like visitors."
"Visitors that aren't you."
"C'mon, I thought we were friends."
In truth, Sakura and Ino never stopped being friends, they only thought they did. After they got along well, the other day, Ino felt it as awkward to just become comfortable with each other again. "Whatever." Sakura smiled as she turned the knob on the door. Ino's nose was red.
"You can sit down in the chair..." Ino pointed over to a white chair in the room.
Sakura took a seat as another, longer silence followed. "So...?"
"You came because of Shika-kun, didn't you?"
"Since when do you call him Shika-kun?"
"Since now."
"It sounds like you two are getting along fine."
"We always were."
Sakura scoffed. "As if."
"We're teammates, of course we do."
"Me and Naruto are teammates, do we?"
"..."
"Don't answer that."
Suddenly, the tension in the air was gone and they could both talk freely. It felt like how it used to be, and Ino was glad. Especially when they were talking about boys. Ino wasn't like other girls who felt embarrassed to be asked who she had a crush on, who she wanted to kiss, who she dreamt to go out on dates with...
"So, have you started dating Shika-kun yet?"
"Don't call him Shika-kun!"
"Why not?"
A sneeze. "Because only /I/ can call him Shika-kun!"
"Shika-kun, Shika-kun, Shika-kun!"
"Sakura!" They both started laughing again.
"So have you started dating?"
"That's for me to know and you to never."
"I'd eventually find out, you know."
"No you wouldn't."
"Of course I would. Now could you just answer the question?"
Ino looked down. "I wish we had a long time ago. But I don't think it seems possible."
"Why not?" Sakura inched closer only to have hit her hand into an object. 'Ouch, what does she keep in her room? Traps?' she thought. Sakura looked down at the sparkling object in Ino's room. It was...a gold locket?
"What are you looking at?"
"Oh-um, nothing!" Sakura said, blushing and hid the locket behind her back. Ino raised an eyebrow, which only reminded Sakura more of Lee. And...the date they had planned today! She was late!
"Oh my god, I really have to go now, Ino!"
"Uhh, sure...do you want me to show you the way out?"
"No, it's ok, fine!" Sakura ran her way out of Ino's room and quickly down the stairs, only making Ino more confused.
"That was strange."
~
As soon as Sakura had gotten out of Ino's house, she had forgotten which way she was supposed to go. The tardiness had only made her brain more confused. "Which way, which way?" The locket slipped from Sakura's hands and she glanced down surprised. She bent down and swept it back up into her arms, cocking an eyebrow. What exactly was in the locket anyway? Ignoring her lateness, her hands trembled as she slowly opened the top of the locket. And in it, was a picture of Shikamaru. That was when she realized the locket was heart-shaped. She thought back to her visit a few seconds ago and realized that Ino was wrapped up in Shikamaru's usual jacket! The pink ninja giggled. Maybe it was time to go visit Shikamaru. She'd invite Lee along.
Kasumi: You forgot to mention you didn't own anything.
AsnGothic: Silly, I don't have to unless I'm starting a new fanfic and - Kasumi? You're back?
Kasumi: Yep. XD
AsnGothic: Oh noooooooo...!!!
~
/Ding dong!/
"I'm coming!" An older feminine voice called. Shikamaru rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet, waiting impatiently for someone to come to the door. Strangely, his feet led him back to Ino's house, where he was yesterday. He still felt a tingle from that moment. The door creaked open and revealed an older woman's face. She slightly resembled Ino.
"Hello! Can I help you - " She looked up and down his body, "Shikamaru?"
"Umm...can I see Ino?" The woman's face lost a little bit of her sparkle.
"I'm sorry, but Ino is sick in bed. She's caught a bit of a cold." Shikamaru felt a pang in his heart. She had caught a cold? Why did he feel guilty about this? Oh yeah...he took Ino out the other day to an ICE pond where she sneezed and slipped. "likes visitors..."
"Hmm, what?"
"Would you like to visit Ino? She likes visitors."
Shikamaru already felt guilty enough. "No, it's ok. I think I'll wait until she's better."
'Oh, the boy doesn't want to catch a cold.' "Sure, she'll be out soon, I promise."
Shikamaru nodded as he left Ino's porch. His eyes narrowed as he passed Sakura, who was going in the direction Shikamaru was a few minutes ago.
"Good morning, Sakura."
"Hello, Shikamaru."
"What are you doing at Ino's house?"
"I should be asking you that." Sakura answered. "Are you dating?" She asked, laughing. Shikamaru blushed slightly.
"N-no, of course not." He walked faster down the street. Sakura chuckled slowly.
The doorbell of the Yamanaka's rung again as Ino's mom opened the door, having already been there a few seconds ago.
"Shikamaru? Oh, Sakura."
"Hello, Mrs. Yamanaka. Is Ino here?"
"Umm...she's sick in bed, I'm afraid."
"Oh, that's ok. Can I visit her?"
"Of course! Come in, come in...." Ino's mom invited her in, waving her arms. Sakura slipped off her shoes as she looked inside the familiar building. "Ino is upstairs in her room...you should know where it is." As little children, Sakura and Ino used to come over to each other's house everyday. When Sakura had started liking Sasuke, she changed their daily routine. Sakura nodded while Ino's mom waved her arms to lead her up to the stairs. Sakura followed gratefully, sliding her hands on the rail.
She looked bewildered at Ino's house. It was a long time since she had been up there...yet, she still remembered it slightly. She reached Ino's door and took a deep breath. Then she knocked quietly, her heart bumping the loudest.
A sneeze made Sakura a little more comfortable. "Who is it?"
"Sakura."
A long silence came in between them before Ino answered again,
"Go away."
"Your mom said you like visitors."
"Visitors that aren't you."
"C'mon, I thought we were friends."
In truth, Sakura and Ino never stopped being friends, they only thought they did. After they got along well, the other day, Ino felt it as awkward to just become comfortable with each other again. "Whatever." Sakura smiled as she turned the knob on the door. Ino's nose was red.
"You can sit down in the chair..." Ino pointed over to a white chair in the room.
Sakura took a seat as another, longer silence followed. "So...?"
"You came because of Shika-kun, didn't you?"
"Since when do you call him Shika-kun?"
"Since now."
"It sounds like you two are getting along fine."
"We always were."
Sakura scoffed. "As if."
"We're teammates, of course we do."
"Me and Naruto are teammates, do we?"
"..."
"Don't answer that."
Suddenly, the tension in the air was gone and they could both talk freely. It felt like how it used to be, and Ino was glad. Especially when they were talking about boys. Ino wasn't like other girls who felt embarrassed to be asked who she had a crush on, who she wanted to kiss, who she dreamt to go out on dates with...
"So, have you started dating Shika-kun yet?"
"Don't call him Shika-kun!"
"Why not?"
A sneeze. "Because only /I/ can call him Shika-kun!"
"Shika-kun, Shika-kun, Shika-kun!"
"Sakura!" They both started laughing again.
"So have you started dating?"
"That's for me to know and you to never."
"I'd eventually find out, you know."
"No you wouldn't."
"Of course I would. Now could you just answer the question?"
Ino looked down. "I wish we had a long time ago. But I don't think it seems possible."
"Why not?" Sakura inched closer only to have hit her hand into an object. 'Ouch, what does she keep in her room? Traps?' she thought. Sakura looked down at the sparkling object in Ino's room. It was...a gold locket?
"What are you looking at?"
"Oh-um, nothing!" Sakura said, blushing and hid the locket behind her back. Ino raised an eyebrow, which only reminded Sakura more of Lee. And...the date they had planned today! She was late!
"Oh my god, I really have to go now, Ino!"
"Uhh, sure...do you want me to show you the way out?"
"No, it's ok, fine!" Sakura ran her way out of Ino's room and quickly down the stairs, only making Ino more confused.
"That was strange."
~
As soon as Sakura had gotten out of Ino's house, she had forgotten which way she was supposed to go. The tardiness had only made her brain more confused. "Which way, which way?" The locket slipped from Sakura's hands and she glanced down surprised. She bent down and swept it back up into her arms, cocking an eyebrow. What exactly was in the locket anyway? Ignoring her lateness, her hands trembled as she slowly opened the top of the locket. And in it, was a picture of Shikamaru. That was when she realized the locket was heart-shaped. She thought back to her visit a few seconds ago and realized that Ino was wrapped up in Shikamaru's usual jacket! The pink ninja giggled. Maybe it was time to go visit Shikamaru. She'd invite Lee along.