A/N: I am very, very, very and VERY sorry about this late update. I didn't have that much of an inspiration for the chapter. sorry, everyone! This chappie is going to be another one of those horrible and sappy ones! but bear with me until those sad inspiration gets out of my head! and hey! im sure this chapter will anger some fans here! i mean i almost kill myself for thinking of a plot like this one too! but it's okay as long as you guys don't flame and started phoning the police my ugly idea.

Chapter 9: That painful scene

That pain still lingers on my hand. Ino looked at her right palm and the red mark still on there, barely fading. She squeezed her hand into a ball. It was probably just a normal reaction that a girl would do when a guy forced her to do something. Or maybe that slap wasn't even supposed to happen. At least not on his cheek. But she couldn't help it. She wanted to keep her cool, her dignity. But what about his dignity? How would others think when they saw a red mark on his cheek?

More importantly, how would he feel?

Sad. This is probably the only word that could describe his feeling when- Why is this my business anyways? Ino shook the thought away and stared at her messy pile of clothes before her. She rolled up her sleeves and started putting them back into the closet one after another. That was the only way that could keep her hands and mind occupied. I will just keep working until everything fades away...

But, it didn't work. She found herself fighting the urge to look out the windows and spot the boy, who was possibly still standing outside under the rain. An umbrella wouldn't hurt... Ino massaged her temples and thought of numerous of excuses of herself to see him again. She was missing him already.

She knew if she went out to see him again, she would cry again, she would hug him and she would go back home with him. That's why- I am not letting that happen. Ino continued unpacking her belongings from the luggage. Those clothes didn't seem to be hers anymore. His smell. Her clothes were mixed with both his and her scents. After all, they did share the same closet for those weeks. Those wonderful memories...

Even when he wasn't there, tears fell again. She forgot to count the numbers of those tears falling. Then, out of nowhere when she was folding her clothes. The Konoha forehead protector fell out and hit the floor with a tiny thud. Ino stared at the protector, the same one she got from the day she passed the academy exam, and curved her lips downwards. She picked it up slowly and recalled what Iruka-sensei once told all of them.

The girl held onto the protector tighter but forced out a weak smile, "I will just do it for the sake of Konoha." He is a comrade, after all!

Ino grabbed an umbrella from the drawer and held it into her hand when she proceeded near the closed windows to look at the standing young man. As soon as she saw him though, the object fell from her hands until it struck the floor, creating a little sound. Someone else is with him. She leaned against the window, placing her fingers onto the cold glass. She eyed the outside for a little bit longer.

A person with a purple umbrella walked near him and told him a few words before the two of them walked away from the door. Ino swallowed the anger and jealousy that she was feeling. Temari. Then, she slammed her fists against the glass.

- - -

This bed, my bed, didn't seem like hers anymore. Ino opened her eyes, gripping onto the bed sheet. The smell didn't seem to be familiar anymore. She had already got used to his smell, his warmth, his presence and even his snoring. Ino ran a hand through her hair and sighed deeply. There's no point regretting now. I am already too late for that. She rolled over to the other side of the bed and held onto one of her stuffed dolls. She buried her face into the bear's furry stomach. By doing so, she remembered Shikamaru's pair of protective arms wrapping around her when there was the roaring thunder.

"Oh my god," Ino lied onto the bed on her back. Moving her hands to massage her temples, she sighed again, "just when are all these memories going to faint?" Oh never-mind. She got up from her soft mattress and walked slowly toward the closet. Grabbing out a set of neat and tidy clothes, she disappeared into the washroom to prepare herself to face her brand new day. Splashing her face with cold running water before leaving the house, she managed to stop her thought on him. Just for a little while though...

"Sensei!" Ino heard a familiar voice from behind when she locked the door. She looked over her shoulder and smiled when she figured out who that was.

She squatted down and smiled at the little boy, "Tsubashi, you seem that you are enjoying the morning already."

The little boy blushed as he held Ino's fingers into his tiny hand, "I have a confession to make, sensei," Ino tilted her head a little and smiled. The boy blushed again as he grabbed something from his tiny backpack, "You are very pretty, sensei. Can you be my girlfriend, please?"

Ino looked at the thing he handed to her. It was a hand-drawn card. The colourful little card made her giggled, "This is a beautiful card, Tsubashi. It looks like you've improved on your drawing and creativity skill." Then, the girl held the paper into her free hand and tucked it into her folder, "thank you very much. I love it."

"That is what my mamee told me too," the boy grinned innocently, "and you taught me all these skills. That is why I want to be with sensei forever."

"Of course, sensei will stay by your side whenever you are in danger, Tsubashi," she placed a hand onto his brown hair, "but sensei isn't someone that can become your girlfriend. A girlfriend should be more than just someone who teaches you things."

"But, you are pretty."

"And beauty isn't something that you should look for in a girl," she smiled kindly at the boy. Then, she stood up from her spot. The boy raised his head to look at her as he tucked his hand onto her sleeves. Ino patted his head gently, "now don't you think we should be heading to school now?"

Tsubashi pouted and stared at the ground. Suddenly, his facial expression changed into a happy and hopeful look, "I know what sensei wants!" He untangled himself with her sleeves and grinned, "you want flowers, right? That's why what the men always bring to girls when they are confessing!"

"Tsubashi!"

"It's okay, sensei! I will pick some flowers from the park over there!" With that, he started to run for the park, "wait here, sensei!"

"Tsubashi," she tried to reach a hand to grab him, but the child was running too fast. Ino sighed and remained at her spot, waiting for her little student to come back with a dozen of flowers in his arms. How the boy ran and smiled reminded her a lot about her childhood. She was to be that innocent and that happy too. But as time went on, there were more troubles that she had to deal with and go through. Sometimes, she even had to solve the problem by herself.

"Looks like you've gained some love from the child, Ino," there was a voice behind her.

She turned around and looked at the person. When she did, she smiled, "Good morning, Hokaga-sama."

The older lady nodded with a smile. Then, before Ino turned her head back to the direction for her student, the Hokage asked her a disturbing question, "did something, by chance, happen between you and Shikamaru, Ino?" Ino stiffened and remained silent. The woman rubbed the back of her neck and explained, "I am not trying to step a foot into you two's relationship or something. To tell you the truth, I am just curious and interested..."

Ino moved her head a bit when she felt the woman whispering into her ear, "how did Shikamaru get his face slapped last night?"

"Hokage-sama!" Ino tightened her fists and blushed. She opened her mouth and soon closed it again, turning around, "it was nothing. It was just an accident."

"An accident!" Tsunade narrowed her eyes at the girl sheepishly, "are you sure it wasn't because he did something that-"

"Tsunade-sama!"

"All right, all right," The woman ran a finger through her light brown hair, "I wouldn't force you to tell me something you don't want to." Then, with a second, the adult looked at Ino seriously, "But Ino, I do have something to tell you. Shikamaru was sent out to a mission last night with the rest of his comrades. He will be back by tomorrow's night if the mission goes smooth."

Ino looked onto the ground and asked bitterly, "Why am I suppose to know this?"

"Just want to inform you if you start worrying about the guy," A smile appeared on her face.

"Tsunade-sama, how many times do I-" just when Ino was about to explain to the Hokage about their relationship, there was a voice that interrupted the women's conversation.

"Ino-sensei, here you go!" It was Tsubashi. Ino knelt down before him and smiled at the beauty of the fresh flowers. The boy blushed, "Can you hold your hand now that I give you flowers, sensei?"

Ino giggled at the child's cuteness and patted her hand onto his head, still giggling, "silly Tsubashi."

- - -

In the night when Shikamaru was suppose to return from his mission, Ino took a walk around the busy street. Obviously, she was doing it on purpose, making herself an excuse to accidentally bumping into the boy's on the road. The night was crowded and full of people, especially couples. It seemed that she was the only one who was alone that night.

"Ino!"

She turned around and saw her former teammate. She managed to give him a weak smile, "Chouji, what are you doing here?" She looked at her still-chubby friend. He hadn't changed at all over the years except that he got taller and looked more mature than before. He, as usual, was holding a bag of chip, an extra large bag of chip, in his bandaged hands. Chouji always had a smile on even when he was unhappy or worried. Sometimes, she considered that as a good thing.

"I just treated myself a huge turkey dinner at the restaurant!" Chouji grinned, satisfied, "but I still can't get my hands off of these chips." With that, he threw another piece of tomato chip into his mouth. Ino giggled at his action. Oh Chouji. Then, the boy asked out of concern, "but really Ino, what are you doing out tonight? It's really dangerous for a girl to walk by herself in an area like this."

He was right. It was really dangerous. There were few pubs built by the side of the street and the streets were filled with drunken men. "Well, I just want to take a walk after dinner too." She lied. She wasn't going to tell Chouji that she was hoping to see Shikamaru around. She was just not ready to tell him anything about her feeling yet.

"Well, maybe I should either accompany you or escort you by now," Chouji grinned again at his friend as he raised his elbow near her arm, "may I?"

Ino stared at the arm for a while and smiled, "of course," she linked her arm around his but smirked, "but you have to share your chips with me along the way."

He nodded as if he had no problem about offering her chips. Of course, Chouji would have packed another hundreds of chips in his pack. The two friends talked about their lives as they walked along the dim street. They talked about almost everything, except for someone that Ino's most sensitive about at the moment, Shikamaru. When she thought he wasn't going to mention about him, he did.

"Ino, I heard you are living in Shikamaru's house when your parents go to a business trip, right?" Ino nodded her head but didn't speak any word, hoping that Chouji would understand her. But in reality, he never understood her. Shikamaru was the only one. "I bet you are having a hard time, taking care of a lazy genius like him."

"Yeah..." she whispered and smiled.

"So, tell me about you two! I am sure he has been causing you trouble!" Chouji laughed and looked at Ino.

The girl sighed in defeat. There was no choice but answering his question. Ino looked at the concrete and began, "well, we share our workload usually. Sometimes, I will be doing the laundry and he will be cooking the breakfast..." Whatever, I am like the one who does everything for him. She continued, "on special occasion though, I would-"

"Ino," she felt him tucking her on the arm. Ino looked at him and gave him a question mark. Chouji gave her a serious look and pointed in the darkness in front of them. Ino slowly changed her attention from Chouji's shocked face to where he was pointing.

Then, when she did, she dropped the chip, she was holding, onto the ground. Before her eyes was the most unbelievable scene she had never expected to see.

Both Shikamaru and Temari were standing outside of a building, which appeared to be a pub, kissing.

End of Chapter 8

A/N: well well, hopefully I can get my brain thinking about the next chappie now that i dun have anymore final exams! haha. anyways, thank you for reading and thank you for holding your anger!