Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or any of the characters that appear in the anime/manga series. I like cake.
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I haven't forgotten that night, Ino. The chuunin exams, you know? I think that was the first time I honestly realized that I had fallen for you, and I could have sworn that you were beginning to fall for me too.
I suppose I first began to take note of you during that same exam. Hidden Sand's chuunin exam sure was rough, wasn't it? I'd just gotten permission from Hokage-sama not two months before to finally start training and taking missions after that Sasuke recovery mission, the red pill's effects finally completely gone from my body.
You, Sakura, and I had been put in the same team to enter the tournament. That cloud genin team we went up against really were something, weren't they? In the end, I needed to take the blue pill again, just to give us a shot at surviving the encounter. Fortunately, that was enough. The side effects alone were more than enough to overwhelm me the rest of the night.
I still remember Sakura frantically trying every medical ninjutsu she could recall to try to help me. You sat there, fueling Sakura with your own chakra, and held my hand, wiping the sweat off my brows, telling me everything was going to be okay. Coughing up my blood all over the two of you didn't seem to faze you at all, you merely held on tighter, and at that moment, blurred as my vision was, I saw you, just you. The most beautiful, most perfect creature god ever created, and at that moment, it couldn't matter less that you were covered with dirt, blood and tears. I would hang onto life with every scrap of my willpower, because the goddess in front of me didn't want me to die.
We cruised through the rest of the exams rather smoothly. Of course, a near death experience sometimes skews one's perception of exactly how smooth an event went. Nevertheless, we were all pleasantly excited, if not wholly unsurprised, to be awarded the rank of chuunin. The awarding ceremony went by in a blur, and the party afterwards will forever be engrained in my memory.
You were so radiant that night; I couldn't have noticed anything else if an entire barbecue buffet had been set out. I wondered why not a single other nin had approached you, but the tears falling silently from your eyes soon told me all I needed to know.
Following your gaze, I saw Shikamaru dancing serenely, holding Temari lightly, as they savored each other's closeness. You ran from the ballroom as they shared a kiss, but I followed you outside. I found you and tried to comfort you, tried to tell you that things would be okay. It was awkward enough for me already, but you suddenly leaned into me, sobbing into my chest. I wasn't quite sure what to do in that situation. I held you and let you cry for as long as you wanted.
When you finished, I gently dropped my jacket upon your shoulders. We sat together on the curb, and stayed quiet the whole time. The silence told me more than words ever could. You didn't push me away when I comforted you, you accepted me as a friend and allowed yourself to drop the 'I don't need anybody else' attitude, allowed me to see past the invincible kunoichi and find the true Yamanaka Ino, the girl that had willingly entrusted her emotions with boys she could never have.
The music had begun to wind down. The faster, exciting beats had given way to slower, more passionate songs. You took my hand, and stood in front of me with the saddest, and yet, most enchanting blue orbs I've ever seen you wear in all the time we were teammates. I knew, for some strange reason, exactly what you wanted. I stood, and placed my hand on your back, and found your hand on my shoulder. I was more than just nervous, that I'd screw up and step on your foot, of all things. I could hear the beat in my head. One-two-three, One-two-three. A simple waltz, but that didn't stop my heart from beating so hard, that I could have sworn the people still inside the ballroom could have heard it. You softly rested your head upon my chest, coincidentally in the same spot you had been crying into earlier, and I felt myself relax, as if your head, your body had some magical soothing properties that could calm the entire wave of emotions that I had unknowingly built up tonight.
We danced until the very last song. I couldn't take my eyes off you. Your cerulean globes had me entranced, your strawberry lips enticed me to do what I never had the courage to even consider. I was still quite unsure if I even had a chance to kiss you, let alone how I was to work up the nerve to attempt to do so. You made my decisions for me.
Bliss, I decided, had nothing at all on what I was experiencing. I tasted orange, something wholly unexpected, but certainly very pleasant. We stood there for what seemed like hours, partaking in each other until finally, if by some unspoken agreement, separating slightly. You were smiling. I suddenly realized that this was quite possibly the first time you had ever smiled for me.
I rather enjoyed the feeling.