Soul Scrolls
Epilogue
I guess I finally figured out that I¡¯d been caring for Shikamaru for a long time already, just that I¡¯d mistaken my concern for him and his affection for me as pure camaraderie. That we were just teammates with a strong bond between us. It didn¡¯t help that I was practically swooning over Sasuke¡¯s good looks day in, day out.
One could say I was delusional ¨C no doubt about that. I was in love with his looks and his cool demeanor, but beyond that, there was nothing. Nothing at all. My crush on him was so superficial, it surprised even me that it actually lasted so long. Perhaps my ongoing rivalry with Sakura-big-ugly-forehead fuelled my ¡®passion¡¯ for him. Looking back now, it was probably jealousy that blinded me so, and my childish desire to defeat Sakura at everything possible ¨C the bitterness of her returning my ribbon only served to drive me further.
It was foolish of me to have preoccupied myself with such petty things. While they did, to a certain extent, add spice to my life, my seeming obsession with Sasuke scared other boys off, as confessed by Shikamaru.
Having been able to look back from a different angle, I guess I¡¯ve matured somewhat. And at the same time, so has Shikamaru. He¡¯s less laid-back now, having to consider my interests as well instead of just lying there admiring the clouds.
I guess I really have got him to thank. For being such a great friend, for patiently waiting for me to come to my senses and discover my true feelings for him, and for loving me so unconditionally.
And yet, as a ninja, we must always learn to put our missions before our personal interests, and we must also be prepared to fight to the death to protect a secret document and so on. In short, we risk our lives on every mission, and even more so now that we have risen through the ranks and have to undertake even more dangerous missions than before.
I have a tendency to think about Shikamaru when he¡¯s on a mission, and I think he does me too. But while we both worry that we¡¯ll never see each other again, we live with the faith that we¡¯d return safely from every single mission.
Gone are the dreamy days when I would fantasise about Sasuke. I¡¯ve opened a new chapter in my life, and a more realistic and down-to-earth one at that. I¡¯ve learnt that there is a difference between a dream guy and one whom I will love and be happy with no matter what, and through this lesson, I have found love.
And while it can get quite troublesome at times, we learn to tolerate each other¡¯s weak points. It might sound silly but we quarrel over trivial, even laughable things.
You know what? I can foresee the two of us doing this even as we get bald and senile.
--- End
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A/n: Whoo! I¡¯ve finally finished this! XD Hope it doesn¡¯t sound too rushed. Thanks once again (and for the last time) for reading and reviewing and I¡¯m glad to find that some people started liking ShikaIno after reading this fic. This feeling of gratification is priceless, and it made me glad that I actually wrote it ^^;;
I appreciate your patience (waiting for me to update) and I hope to write more ShikaIno soon ^^;;