Chapter 2: EAVESDROPPING=NOT GOOD

At the campsite..

"is there any more food left?" chouji eagerly asked as soon as they reached their destination. he just finished his bag of snacks and was looking for more..

"there wont be anymore left if you keep eating chouji." surprisingly, it wasnt ino who said this but shikamaru who was smiling at him like it was a joke.. chouji started to creep out -.-;; when he saw shikamaru with his big fake smile.. as if he was tryin so hard to pretend what he wasnt.. asuma sensei was just sitting on his sleeping bag thinking hard, then he noticed ino who was working very hard, preparing lunch.. which was very rare.. and she was concentrating hard on it too.

"ino, is something wrong? do you want help?" he asked, looking concerned for one of his students..

"uhh.. umm, no, nothings wrong.. just helping out. nothing at all.. and i think i'll be fine.. no, but thanks sensei.." ino said this not even looking once at him but just concentrating hard on preparing for lunch.. she was sweating as she said this as if there was something wrong.. she worked harder and kept herself busy..

she knew that something was bothering her.. keeping her from being herself.. that something was right next to her. she looked over at that something which was also keeping himself busy trying to hide his real face by putting on a fake smile.. she knew this because it was so obvious.. it was too noticeable. she continued to concentrate on nothing but her work.. but then she looked back, slowly, as if she was trying to do this secretly.. not letting anyone know about anything that she was doing.. she looked at him but this time, his expression, his face was different than before.. it was serious, not like the normal him or this, trying-to-hide-by-puttin-on-a-fake-smile him.. but just serious even sad looking.. something was up.. she looked around.. chouji was busy eating and relaxing and asuma sensei was gone.. gone?! she thought.. where can he be??. anyways.. noone was looking at least.. they were busy.. so she stopped what she was doing.. and walked slowly over to where shikamaru was.. he was just checking his weapons i guess.. he just "tried" to occupy himself.. "uhh.. shikamaru?" ino asked softly, which was REALLY surprising.. shikamaru looked up in shock, smiling..

"ino? wat do you need? more firewood? more something??" shikamaru asked, in a very fast way..

"oh no.. umm.." she took a pause, thinking of what to say.. she just couldnt ask him what was wrong forwardly.. she needed something to start the conversation off.. shikamaru just waited for her to say something.. anything, to keep from this annoying silence between them.

"wheres.. uhh.. asuma sensei?? have you seen him?" ino thought to herself how lucky it was for him to be gone at the moment..

"no.. but bet he'll be back soon." shikamaru said with again, his fake smile. he then, turned away, back to his "business"

"oh.."was all that was out of ino's mouth.. a hopeless word.. but she gathered herself together.. she knew that she had to talk to him.. for his problems, for his sake.. and also for her problems too.. and her sakes..

"shikamaru? whats wrong? anything bothering you?" ino bent down from her standing position to look at him better. he noticed that she wasnt gone and looked up at her too. "uhh.. nothings wrong :].. everythings just fine.. fine." shikamaru said this nervously kinda.. then, he went back to his "business".. ino saw this.. he was avoiding it, he even avoided her eye contact.. this made her realize more how much he needed to talk about his problem.. so she made up her mind and made her way to sit right next to him..

"its been days shikamaru.. i know somethings up.. that something is wrong.. what is it??" ino started to talk sense out of him.. shikamaru turned his smile upside down.. he was looking pretty serious now.. he knew too that he had to talk soon.. and he sure knew that ino was gona be the one to ask him about it first if his pretending-to-be-happy thing was too obvious.. and it was.. so she was there.. and he talked.

"ino.. its so hard.." shikamaru propped his head down, facing his head to the ground with his eyes shut tight.. he opened his eyes again, and turned to face ino, "you might know.. but you dont feel it.." he said..

"yeah shikamaru.. i know but i dont know how much pain it is like.. or maybe i do.." ino looked away from his eyes. but looked towards the forest in front of her.. "remember that time.. my dad was dead.. i was so sad then.. but he really wasnt.. remember we all found out a week later?" she was smiling at the memory.. it was soo long ago when they were little.. "even though it seems funny now.. during that week.. i was filled with pain and sadness... i dont even know words for that feeling.. it was just too sudden and i was little.." shikamaru, still eyes on her, thought about those days when she would be crying in her room.. and never coming out.. he would always see her by her bedroom window.. it wasnt stalking or peeking.. he just looked at the attention of the neighborhood.. cus she was so loud, everyone on that block had to look at the window and whoever passed by their house.. it was quite sad but annoying after awhile..

"but, when he came back.. that feeling disappeared.. like i never had it before.." she smiled again.."so, maybe i dont know how it feels like.. but maybe i do.." ino stopped staring at the forest.. but turned to shikamaru.. "i was never gona happy until he stepped back into my life.. but for you shikamaru.. shes not coming back.. so have someone else come into your life, instead of her.." ino smiled brightly at him.. as if she thought she was help to him.. shikamaru almost smiled back but he thought to himself.. who?.. he broke his semi-smile with his seriousness.

"but its hard.. she was the only person close to me.. who was real close to me.. she understands me, how i would need time for myself and why im lazy.. she understands everything.. shes an angel." he told her as he was staring up at the sky, once again thinkin of her.. ino seemed a little ticked off when she heard that she was an angel.. she seemed like her old self but right now, she had to be nice..

"if you just shut yourself.. then noone would ever be close to you again.." ino pleaded.. "i know why you acted all happy these past couple of days, it was because of her.. you just cant stop thinkin of her and you want to hide it." she turned away, trying to suck back the tears that were just resting in her eyes.. "well? you know, its really hard even doing that.. ino, its hard to forget someone like her in a couple of days.. you just have to understand.. you have to help me.." shikamaru told her straight. "i can do that.."ino said, trying to make sure of herself.. can she really do that?? in her situation?? she had to, for him and also her herself.. she admitted to herself that she did have feelings for him.. she did like him.. maybe even love him.. but she wasnt gona go that far with a guy who cant get over someone than herself.. but the purpose she was going to do this for was him.. because she indeed loved him so.."so now, you can drop the all-happy-mood act.. and get on with your actual life! okay?" ino broke the silence. she felt more sure what she was going to do now.. someday she had to confess her feelings.. but now, she was just going to help him for him..

"umm.. is it me or does it feel too quite?" shikamaru asked, now back to his normal self.. ino noticed too and tried to listen for anything.. then they both heard heavy breathing behind them.. they looked at each other with a freaked out expression.. then they slowly turned their heads behind their shoulders to see what was awaiting behind them..

"umm.. hey!" asuma sensei said this as he quickly stood up from his crouching position.. trying to look away from their embarrassed and freaked out faces.. "..hi.. heh heh.." chouji was rather embarrassed, eavesdropping like this.. he wasnt that kinda guy.. so then, he quickly stood up too.. and they both laughed hysterically at themselves.. and by themselves.. shikamaru and ino just looked at them.. very confused and weirded out.. they just stared at the very pathetic men.. who was having one hand in the back of their heads and just laughing histarically away..

"what are you two doing here??!!" ino asked as she started to stand up, she started to look angry.. "heh heh.." was all that got of their mouths as they stopped the laughing.. "i said, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! EAVESDROPPING??" ino didnt burst out yet but she was twitching.. angerly.. by closing her eyes shut, she was trying to be patient.. but then, her hands formed into fists.. and they both, wide-eyed, stared at the clutched hands.. "s..sss..soo...sssory?" chouji asked..very frightened.. "SORRY???!!!" she held her fist in front of her with her angry firely eyes staring right at them.. almost through them.. "ye..yeah.. look-" asuma sensei tried to explain but was cut off.. "SHUT UP!!" with that she, she ran few steps and threw a very powerful punch and blew both of them off of the ground and into the bushes.. ino, seeming as if that was enough, brushed her hands off to rest them while breathing very heavy.. and all the while, shikamaru just stared at the scene with the widest eyes ever with sweat down the side of his head.. and not a single sound of out of him while the two foolish men were still lying in the bushes preventing them from any more harm.