Chapter 11- Love Debate
"Woo! That was a good meal, wouldn't you say so too, guys?"
"I'm glad we're finally back… I need some rest… I'm still kinda dizzy, you know."
"A nice hot bath sounds really nice… I'll go and take a shower upstairs."
"So, um… I guess we'll see you after your bath, Ino!"
"Yeah, sure…"
Then, Ino walked up the stairs and headed straight to the bathroom.
Back, downstairs, Shikamaru and Choji are busy talking about Shikamaru's 'little secret'…
"So… About that kiss you guys had when I got here…"
"Stop it, Choji…"
"Come on! I can tell you guys really like each other!"
"Okay, fine… I admit it. I've had a huge crush on Ino for quite a while now… A whole lot of awkward incidents with her have been happening to us a lot… But I still can't say it's destiny. She said it herself- she dumped Sasuke for someone else… I mean, Sasuke's a really gifted ninja. He gets high grades in the exams, he does extremely well in his missions and the girls love him. For Ino to dump someone that good, she must've found someone way better than Uchiha Sasuke… And that person is definitely not me, Choji."
"But what if she really does like you?"
"It's impossible. For Ino to love someone as lazy as me, well… I dunno."
"Shikamaru, you're forgetting… Among all the genins who entered the chuunin exam, you are one of the two selected ninjas who became chuunins!"
"So? Sasuke became one as well…"
"YES! Both you and Sasuke became chuunins! Which means you're just as good as he is! It's possible enough for Ino to fall for you, Shikamaru! You get high grades too, don't you?"
"Yeah… But I'm a total sloth… I'm no one more but some lazy kid who loves to lie down and watch the clouds go by. I'm not some knight in shining armor like that Sasuke…"
"STOP COMPARING YOURSELF WITH THAT GUY!" Choji said, "Shikamaru, to me, it doesn't matter how good you are! You became my friend because of your kind personality! Check out Sasuke- he doesn't even have any friends!"
"Whaddya mean? He's got Naruto! And Sakura and all of those annoying fan girls!"
"THEY'RE FANS! NOT FRIENDS!"
"THEY'RE SIMILAR ENOUGH, AREN'T THEY!"
"NO! Fans are people who admire you only for something you're most likely known for! Sasuke's cleverness and abilities are the reasons why those girls fell for him! But friends are people who admire you for who you are deep inside! Not only because you're good-looking or smart! They're people who you could be yourself with. They're people you can trust completely! True friends wouldn't care if you sucked a lot in ninjutsu! They wouldn't care how slow you run! They won't care how fat you are! …just like you."
"Choji, I…"
"…you didn't care how bad my abilities were. You didn't care if I was a slow runner! You didn't care if I was the biggest laughingstock of Konoha! You didn't care how fat I was!"
Choji began crying.
"Choji, I… I… I…"
"You were always there for me, Shikamaru. Those kids only saw my flaws and hated me all over. But you gave me a chance to show you just who I really am… And then, you became my best friend. You understood me completely! You cried with me and laughed with me! We shared lots of happy times together! With Ino and Asuma-sensei too. You liked me because of the personality other people never realized was there…"
"Choji…"
"…DO THEY SOUND SO SIMILAR TO YOU NOW!"
"Choji… I… I didn't realize that. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I looked down on myself. I forgot that true friends would love you for who you really are deep inside…"
"…RIGHT! And Ino might love you just like that, too! You don't have to be like Uchiha Sasuke to get her to notice you, Shikamaru! You can be a knight in shining armor for your princess if you wanted to! You just have to be yourself!"
"Right. Thanks, Choji. You're a true friend!"
"Heheh… Anything to help!"
INO: Shikamaru! Choji! I'm done with my bath! You may use the bathroom now! Whichever of you two want to go first… (yawn) If it's alright with you two, I'll go to bed now. There's a practice tomorrow, so I'd need my energy… I'll see you when the morning comes!
SHIKAMARU & CHOJI: Good night, Ino!