Pairings: GaaIno(?) Hmm.

Warnings: Angst, language, threesomes, alcohol!

Author's Notes: I still can't apologize enough for the delay in updates, so…I won't! BWAHAHAHAHA! Omg…j/k. Please don't kill me. I'm sorry! But this one came out sooner, didn't it? I've always been a bit of a sadist…but I would never intentionally upset my readers. :D

Btw, yes, there were cameos from another anime in the last chapter. I didn't point it out because it distracts from the GaaIno-ness and I wanted to see who would notice. Good for you! I hope I don't get sued for putting them in the fic! Shh!

(Someone mentioned they didn't like when characters suddenly confessed. I fuckin' agree. What was Ino thinking?)

I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter Ten: Time

This is what happens when you put your life on the line. Not just your life, but your heart, which is really the same thing in the end. Mine was out in the open waiting to be embraced or shed to tiny bloody little pieces. Looking at Gaara, I've come to see him as more than a killer, but now, he seems as distant as the first time we met. I bite my lip in anticipation. What is taking him so long to answer?

"No."

I laugh incredulously, and repeat, "No?"

He remains immobile.

"NO? N-N…" I take a sharp intake of breath, "No? As in….no?" I choke on my own words, and finally snap. "No to what? NO TO FUCKING WHAT?"

"Shh!" Gaara hisses and pulls me aside as people begin to stare.

Shh? DON'T YOU DARE "SHH" ME!

"W-Wait….Gaara? Do you mean 'no' you can't go to the festival? We can do something else, i-if that's better for you. I don't even like festivals really!" I completely push the dress out of my mind, the one I bought to look nice especially for Gaara.

"Stop," He says. Finally, the man speaks. "D-Don't talk so much."

I remain silent, with my mouth hanging open. Does he know how bad he is at talking to people?

Carefully avoiding my gaze, he speaks with very controlled speech. "Now is not a good time."

And that was the only answer he gave me.

Now is not a good time. Now is not a good time. Now is not a good time.

Words just won't get out of my head as I walk the dirt path to my house. Through my eyes and a thick film of water, I can only see the ground swirling beneath as I try my best to get home as soon as possible. "Now is not a good time" is the only thing he said before leaving. That's just not right.

What time would be better?

Should I have pushed back the hand on a clock and asked him again? Or maybe pushed it forward?

I try not to compare this to the pleasant, knife-in-the-heart experience I had with Sasuke not all that long ago. It would be too cruel to experience the same kind of pain in such a short time frame. This had to be different. Gaara is not like Sasuke! He isn't! I can tell, because this time, the pain is at least ten times worse.

"Ino!"

Whatever voice is calling out to me, I ignore it. I'd just cry if I tried to speak. That would be embarrassing. I wipe a hand over my face before any wetness can leak from my eyes. Then I mess with my hair as if that's what I was really trying to do in the first place. I have no idea who I pass, but I finally get to my house.

The door bursts open with the dangerous force of my tear-stained hands, and I run straight for the stairs. The door to my room shuts loudly.

"Ino-kun?" I hear my mother's quizzical voice. "Inoooooooo? Hm…"

Her footsteps led her somewhere else.

Yes, please ignore me. Everyone.

I guess you can say what I did was stupid. Of course Gaara would be scared if some weird girl just blurted out some confession. I didn't even give him time to prepare. I didn't hand him a program for "Ino's Tragic One-Sided Romance," the play of the year. Men don't like to be surprised like that, especially by girls they don't like.

My body slides down slightly from my bed. I am in an odd position. My legs are nearly hanging to the floor and my arms are bent under my head to support it. My sheets are damp – soaking – from tears. My eyes feel swollen and heavy, and yet they pale in comparison to the weight of my heart. You'd think a heart that was broken would weigh less than one that was full of joy.

I sniffle once or twice. How long have I been like this? At least a few hours. The sun is still up and faintly pours in from the window.

There's a knock at my door. "Ino…"

I answer with more sniffles and shift a little on my bed. That's a boy's voice. Who?

He clears his throat and I can feel his feet shuffling behind the door. "I-It's…ah…me. Kiba. Can I come in?"

Kiba? I blink for the first time in what seems like ages. It hurts to do that. I make a sound and it astounds me a little even though it's soft. "U-Um…"

"Huh? Ino? Are you in there?"

I pull myself up and sit properly on my bed. "Yeah…I'm in here."

Kiba sighs. "Errrr….I'm comin' in. You better not be naked."

I laugh bitterly.

"That's the worst thing I've ever heard." he says.

"R-Really? You think so?" Oddly, my voice sounds entirely too feminine and weak to be mine.

"Naw. Not really," Kiba waves his hand in the air. "It's pretty damn crummy, but that shit happens all the time."

Kiba had a point. People got rejected all the time, some just more often and more brutally than others. I whisper, "He hates me…"

Kiba doesn't say anything. I don't want to admit it, but I'm glad he's here. He was the only person that saw me running back home. I'm glad its him and not Hinata or anyone else in a relationship. Instinctively, I pull Kiba closer. I don't even want to leave my room anymore.

"Hey…Ino! Watch it! If you're not careful I might get turned on and then I can't be held responsible for my actions!"

I whine and push my face more firmly against his arm. "Kiiiiiiiiiiiiba!"

"Alright fine. Latch on to me, you seductress."

"Will you stay with me all night?"

"No!"

Of course. Who would want to spend all night in the same room with someone who's dying from grief?

"INO! You gotta get a hold of yourself! You're not really thinking of staying in here all night, are you?"

"Yes…"

"What about the festival?"

"What about it?"

Kiba groans. "Hey. If you don't get up and get dressed for the party, I'm gonna call Shika over here to haul your ass out of bed."

"Why should I?"

"I…need a date."

"LIAR!" I smack him right in the face. Kiba would never ask me anywhere. He moans and rubs his nose.

"Well…Ok. So I was just gonna go hunting for girls tonight, but I guess I can go with you…I mean, I'D LIKE TO, DAMMIT!"

I let him go and fall on my bed, refusing to speak to Kiba anymore. He takes the hint and leaves.

Kiba returns. God, he's persistent. I hear an odd crunching sound trailing up the steps.

"Oh…You were right...She looks really, really bad. Ino-chan!"

"Hey, keep it down, Chouji! She's all…" he whispers the next part even though I can hear it. "Devastated."

I pull myself up like a corpse and stare at Chouji and Kiba standing side-by-side. "Geeeeeeeet out."

"Never!" Chouji takes another chip in his mouth and I notice he's all dressed up. "Ino! You're my ex-teammate and it's my duty to take care of you! You're also my friend."

"You heard him, Ino," Kiba pulled me up. "Friends don't let friends waste away over homicidal dudes when there are perfectly good parties to go to, ya hear?"

With a lot of force from the two boys, eventually, I was well enough to get ready for the festival. I reasoned that it was a waste for my shiny new dress to go unworn, especially at a time when everyone could see me in it. Also, all the trouble Kiba and Chouji went through deserved at least a little positive change in myself. The truth was, they made me laugh and made me feel good enough to stop the constant flood of tears I had to deal with before.

I finally stood up after I had put on my elaborate kimono. My hair was taken care of and the only thing left was make-up. "Alright. I guess I'm presentable. Sorta."

"Woooooooooow…Ino looks so pretty!" Chouji cheers. "I can't believe it…"

"Me neither…" Kiba looks especially stunned. Pleasantly stunned.

"You don't think it's too flashy?" I do I slight turn to give them a better look. My kimono is a pretty vibrant hue. It isn't orange or red, it's fire. As the fabric moves with my body, it seems to shine and change in a flash. Its silk is embroidered with magnificent, dark patterns that hypnotize the eyes. The obi is dark also and so are a few other spots. I thought it was the most lovely dress I had ever seen. I picked it out with such care that I was afraid my pale skin and blonde hair would be unworthy along with such a beautifully crafted garment.

"What's wrong with flashy?" Kiba leaned forward with a sinful grin, "Flashy means you're hot. Flashy means you'll stand out against all those other girls."

Chouji nodded in agreement and stuffed his face again.

"Where the hell do you get lines like that from?" I glared at the boy that was getting just a little too close for comfort.

"Ohh! She's bitching again! That's a good sign!" Kiba howled with laughter. "Okay. Since you're done, I'll go get ready."

"I'll stay with the princess," Chouji said around a mouthful. "I'm already dressed."

Did Chouji just call me "princess"?

"Kay! Laters!" Kiba went to the door. "Don't forget, Ino! It won't be a threesome without you! I'll friggin' kill you if you leave me alone with Chouji!"

"Yeah, yeah…" I sit down and pull out a bag of cosmetics. "You better make yourself comfy, Chou, you're gonna be here for a while. Mascara KILLS me!"

The three of us (the infamous threesome), walked together to the festival which covered most of Konoha. Everyone was having fun with their friends and loved ones. Couples were everywhere like some sort of plague. The Spring festival was like that, because it was the season of love.

What was it Gaara said? Now is not a good time. How could Spring be a bad time?

"I need a drink!"

"Now you're talking, babe!" Kiba laughs and wraps an arm around me. Chouji snickers as he follows.

"OH MY GOD! THE HOKAGE!" Someone yells in glee. Hey, she's at the bar we're going to. How nice. I almost want to talk to her, but she seems engrossed in a drinking game with some students. During the festival, everyone with the exception of very minor children are allowed to drink. We manage to find three empty stools, which is a miracle in itself. Kiba sits to my left, and Chouji to my right.

"I'll have what the Hokage is having," I lean forward on the bar and give the bartender a wink.

"Oh ho ho! Bold little lady!" He laughs, "Are these two your dates?"

"You betcha. One just wasn't enough for me."

He laughs again, "What would you guys like?"

"Saaaaake! Nothing's more satisfying!" Kiba answers and Chouji nods.

Many drinks later…

"Kiba! …Kiba! Kiiiiba!" I giggle.

"What? What? Whaaaaaaat?"

"I was…….gonna ask you………somethin'…"

"Yessssssssssssss?"

"Where'd you get Chouji from? You just…you just came ta my room and he was there!"

Chouji laughs, which about the only thing he does while drunk. Kiba pokes me. He has a habit of touching me a lot while drunk. "I told ya already, woman! He was…uh…At his house! DUR! Ya stupid or somethin'?"

"Where's Akamarururu?"

"Chouji ate him!"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahhahahahahahaha!" I can't. Stop. Laughing. Head. Bangs. On. Counter. "Ow."

"INO! Ya no what? Why don't cha just…….um……..forget about what's-his-face?"

"Hmmmmmmm?" I look up hazily. My eyes meet with the Hokage. Still there? Looking. At me. Funny.

"Ino!" Kiba tickles me. Ahh!

"Asshole! I WANNA PLAY GAMES! LETS GO!" I pull my dates along with me. YAY!

"Huh?" I look around. How did I get lost? Where are Kiba and Chouji? I haven't seen them since Kiba went to get food and Chouji won this goldfish for me. How did I end up alone again? I wobble slightly on my feet and frown.

There's Hinata…with Naruto. Sasuke is holding Sakura's hand. TenTen is giggling at something Neji just said. Temari is beating the hell out of a strength-testing game with Shikmaru cheering at her side. Kiba?

Kiba is with three girls, sharing his cotton candy. Typical.

I don't know where I am, but I feel like its time to sit down. Still, I don't want to get my dress dirty, so I move to the nearest and cleanest surface. Colors and joy surround my vision. I feel a little happy, but it's so detached.

I miss him.

I set the golden fish on my lap in his little plastic globe and sigh. I shall call you…hmm….what shall I call you?

A heavy wind blows past me, giving me a start. How can wind be heavy? Well, it's laced with sand. I cough and cough and finally look to my left.

Gaara is there, looking paler than possible and like he's in pain. He steps forward, keeping his gaze on me. I recoil as if this is the start of a nightmare. He falls at my feet and brings an elbow up to the bench I'm sitting on. "H-Hey?"

"EH? G-Gaara?"

"Yeah." He rests his head against my arm. "I'm back…but I'm really…tired."

END OF CHAPTER TEN!

Oh my. Aren't you happy I updated again? You deserve it. This one's less cliffy too. :D