Chapter 13: the answer.
"I, don't know. I mean, yes. No. I just.. It's just the truth is, yes."
Those words just fell out of her mouth like knives and pierced Shikamaru hard. So he was right. He had nothing to offer her no more. On the other hand. Ino thought, what have I done? Why did I say it? And why was it let out so.. simple?. She just couldn't understand. But she knew although, that Shikamaru was just tired of her and that she should let go. Tai was great to her anyways. but.. but.. That's all she can say these days, But. There was always another point of view, another side of the story. Well, in this story, she knew she had to go one way. No Buts.
"Oh, I see.." Shikamaru said. He knew it was all for the best anyways. So why was he feeling this way? "Yeah. I should go now. Still friends? Comrades?" She asked before she left the room. "Yeah, comrades." He told her. Then with that, she left.
When she was gone, he walked over to his drawer. He knelt down to the bottom one to open it. Under some things he got out a box. He opened it and there laid a mini music box. You could of carried it in your hand easily. It was beautiful with all sorts of colors you couldn't even pronounce. He smiled looking at it but then it turned into a frown as he realized. He shut the box closed and shoved it to the very corner of his drawer and he shut that closed too.
'Comrades? Hmm. It's going to be Valentines Day and I have no one to be with.' Thought Ino as she walked the roads. Few tears dropped onto the ground. She stopped to wipe them when something touched her shoulder. Thinking of his face, she turned around to meet chouji. She didn't expect it to be him. "H-hey, Chouji.. What are you doing here?" Ino managed to say while wiping the rest of the tears. "Ino, what happened? Why are you crying?" He looked serious. The seriousness in his eyes, the worriness. "Um, nothing." Although, it wasn't nothing. "Well, I'm here because there's this guy looking for you. That guy, Tai." Tai! Ino thought. She totally blew him off. "Thanks Chouji." She said before taking off. But the feeling in his eyes made her worry. "I'm fine Chouji. You know me." She smiled and jogged off.
Ino saw him sitting on a bench in a park nearby her house. She walked towards him and sat down right next to him. His head turned to her and she sensed that he was smiling. "You're back so, fast. I knew you'd come back." Ino looked at him. "What do you mean?" This made her curious. "Because I love you, Ino-chan." His smile. It was the one that looks at you, almost through you. "Um, yeah. I really like you too." What else could she say? She wasn't sure of anything that day. "I got to go. I have to get home early. Bye." She left him once more. Just to get away from this craziness. She wanted to go back, to figure everything out.
Valentines Day, 2 1/2 years later..
"Naruto! Thank you." Sakura, receiving flowers from Naruto, cried out as she gave him a hug. Naruto smiled all happy. "Your welcome, Sakura-chan." Things had changed over the period. Naruto and Shikamaru, turning jounins. Sakura, accepting everything in life, almost. Kakashi sensei, getting a life. Sasuke, on his mission, nobody knows what. Although, some things, never change. "Sakura-chan, I was wondering.. How about, lunch? Me and you.. alone." Naruto had his hopes up, since she liked his gift. "Umm, sure. It wouldn't hurt." Sakura took it into consideration. "How about the sushi stand? In an hour. Got to go." Sakura then left the happy Naruto. He stood there, with a blank expression but inside, he felt like jumping up and down. Soon enough, he had all eyes on him.
Not far away, in a flower shop, was a girl, preparing her day. 'It is so crowded. When am I going to get out?' She thought as she saw people piling in and out since morning. There wasn't that much people but enough to occupy the family's time. "Hello. What can I- Chouji!" Ino greeted him, mistaking him for another customer. "Konichiwa Ino-chan." He said as he looked around at the freshly new flowers. "So, what brings you here. I mean, this isn't a restaurant or anything." Ino joked. "Haha, very funny. I'm actually here to buy flowers. That's why this is the flower shop, right?" Hearing this, she nodded as she asked what flowers he would like. "Carnations. Pretty ones." Chouji said, carrying his money bag in his hand. "Who is it for? Someone I know?" She asked, picking the prettiest carnations of all. "Yeah. My mom. See, my dad's still on this mission he received last week. I don't want her to be lonely." "Awww. That's sweet. It sure isn't fair how people are assigned missions on Valentine's day."She finished wrapping them and began to tie it in a bow. "Yeah, poor Shikamaru. But he never cared for Valentine's day, not anymore though." Chouji was getting his money when Ino asked. "What? Shikamaru is on a mission too, and he just turned a jounin." "He didn't tell you?" Chouji asked, handing her the money. "Tell me what?" She seemed curious all of a sudden. "Well, it's his first anbu mission. It's very important to him. I doubt he wouldn't tell.. you." The next thing Chouji saw was a gone Ino. He placed the money on the counter, confused and left the shop with the flowers, still confused.
Ino was at the shop and the next minute you know, she's clutching on to him. Still in her apron, she held him tightly. Shikamaru thought for himself and separated her hands so that he was free. Then immediately, Shikamaru ran to get his bag which was lying on the other side of his bed. "I'm going.. so dont stop me." with that said, he left his room, leaving ino behind with all this.. loneliness.. and regrets..
She stood there, thinking about stopping him, thinking about standing in his way. But what does it matter? She was losing time. Ino left the room, after Shikamaru. She saw him, not far away. His back, it looked sad. She didn't know what to do again. Then she ran to him, she ran faster. ' It's over now. I'm going to stick with this life. I'm going to stick being this anbu and stick to it. Soon or later, I'll find an average girl. Marry her and take off work. That's what I'm going to do. Stick with the life I have.' Shikamaru thought over and over again as he walked towards wherever he was going. Suddenly, out of no where, something hit him in the head and dropped onto the ground. It wasn't something hard, felt like cloth. It was too troublesome to look at who threw it and have to deal with it, so he kept on going. "HEY!" Yelled a voice. So, it was meant for him. He stopped, feeling the person nearer. Shikamaru was faced with her now. "What are you doing? This is not something to be done by someone like you. It's too dangerous." She looked up to look into his eyes. He just tried to look and walk away but she stayed in his path. "What are you doing Ino? I have to go." Shikamaru confronted. "Stop. Please. I'm trying to do my job here." She pleaded. He wondered what it was. "Which is?"
"Which is to protect the ones I love. Keep you from being an anbu, and you've just turned another rank higher. Don't you think you need more training and.. and.." He longed for her to continue on. The curiosity took over him. She opened her mouth to say,"And, I love you, you baka."