Chapter 10: the unexpected shadow
"INO!! SOMEONES HERE TO SEE YOU!~ COME DOWN!!" That was the voice of Mrs.Yamanaka. ' Who can it be?' Thought the girl who was now adjusting her hair into a perfect bun. She combed her front strand quickly and went out of her room. "It must be Shikamaru!" She said as she ran down the first flight of stairs. When she ran down the next one, she realized it wasn't by the look of it. A boy was turned, his back facing her and it defiantly wasn't Shikamaru. Her hopes died that instant. Right then, the boy turned around with something in his hands. Flowers. They were not callas. For some strange reason that flower popped into Ino's head. They were beautiful daisies. Fresh and yellow with a hint of vanilla. As if it was edible.
"Ino, i believe you have a visitor." Mrs.Yamanaka broke the silence. "Yeah. Konichiwa Ino-chan. What a beautiful flower shop your mother has created. Everything's so alive and fresh." Tai complimented. "Oh, it's all in a day's work." Mrs.Yamanaka felt proud of the flower shop she kept and was supported by Tai's compliment.
"So, Tai-kun. What are you doing here?" Ino said as she walked slowly towards him. She was surprised and kind of annoyed. "I brought you flowers!" Tai said as he held up the daisies. To Ino it was kinda strange, seeming that she was the daughter of a family who owned a flower shop. "And it wasn't from our shop, aren't they just wonderful?" Ino's mother interrupted them out of no where. Ino nodding her head told said "Mom, please." with a look that told her mother right away. "I think i need to check up on something in the kitchen." Then Mrs. Yamanaka flew off towards the stairs. "Thank you." Ino then took the flowers. She took an empty vase which was behind a desk and placed it on the counter, poured water in it with a near by water can, and placed the flowers in there.
"Well, Tai-kun, was that it, or did you come here for something else?" Ino turned back to Tai. "Is that how you treat a guest? especially after receiving a gift? wow." Tai said this really sarcastically. Ino couldn't help but grin a little. But it soon disappeared when she opened up her mouth to say, "You know what I'm going through right now, right? I told you yesterday that Shikamaru and I -" "I know. So can't a friend help out?" Tai gave her a sad look that she couldn't resist. "okay, okay." Ino said, maybe a little outing wouldn't hurt so bad, unless someone got the wrong impression, which was so shikamaruish. Tai took her hand and Ino felt really uncomfortable. She wanted tell him to not hold her hand or touch her ever but she didn't want to make him feel bad since he was trying to make her feel good. "I wanted to show you this place. Are you okay if i take you there?" Tai asked with a hopeful face. "Sure." Ino decided. She was also curious about this "place" "okay, lets go."
=Meanwhile=
'I should go talk things out. Say sorry and move out. k, i got this.' Shikamaru was almost to Ino's house. But during the time he was walking, his conscience was pulling him back. But he knew he had to so he forced himself to go. There it is. Shikamaru was now a couple of feet away from the entrance. Before he took another step..
"Where is this place?" Ino asked as she took a step out of the shop. Tai was a couple of steps ahead of her, still holding her hand. As she took few more steps she turned her head to her right to see the owner of the shadow she was stepping on. She froze in her place, even though Tai was still walking, holding her hand. She let go of it slowly and when Tai realized she did. He stopped too and turned around to see two faces facing each other.