A/N: Here's the second chapter. I hope everyone will like it...Today, I feel really happy since there're...no tests in the upcoming week! Wooo-hoo, let's party! (dances) Well, anyways, I still have to write quite a lot for school..but it's not that hard so...Surprise! This weekend,I'm posting a new fanfic AND updating the other two today AND maybe I'll write a oneshot soon! Aren't I the best? No, I'm not. (sticks out her tongue)

disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

She was floating up in the sky, and it was like she was looking down, towards the ground. The scenery was very familiar to her. Her training grounds...a five year old boy with spiky ponytail, lying on the grass...

"What?"

She recognized him immediately. She would never forget his ponytail, black hair and dark brown eyes, that were closed at the moment.

"He was such a cute child; No wonder he grew up to become such handsome man..."

Both, the boy's and her attention was drawled to the noise coming from the right.

"Is that...me?"

A small blond girl with big, blue eyes, stood in the middle of the training ground. A boy, about 5-6 years older than her, yelled at the child.

"What the hell are you doing! This isn't a place for brats like you, so get lost, you-"

His hand raised and started falling quickly towards the little girls' face. Both, younger and little Ino screamed and shut their eyes. A loud smack was heard; it was clear that someone got hit very badly.

Older Ino waited for a loud, girlish cry, but it never came. When she opened her eyes, she felt her jaw drop in surprise.

The familiar boy was lying on the ground, clutching his cheek, trying to stop the flowing blood. The girl was kneeling at his side, trying to force his hands away from the cheek.

The ninja, clearly a new one, had a panicked expression on his face. With a quick turn, he dashed off the training grounds, prying, that the children will keep quiet about it.

No one paid attention to him, so he really didn't have to worry.

If the older Ino didn't know that not even a scar will be seen in the future, she would most probably cry and panic just like her younger self did. Seems like she hadn't change that much; little Ino was saying the same things that crossed her mind at the moment.

"Shikamaru, why? Oh, dear, dear Shika; Can you forgive me?"

"What...what for?"

"It's all my fault; if it weren't for my stubbornness, you would never...never..."

"Don't worry. I wouldn't have you any other way. I want you to be strong and confident...so that, no one will hurt you so easily...like Sakura did..."

Little Yamanaka was puzzled; he still cared about what she felt because of Sakura? True, she felt small pain inside her heart, but did...was it that visible?

Feeling her eyes water, Ino took a handkerchief from her pocket. But one glance at Shika and his bloodied cheek, changed her mind. He should be crying with pain, not her. She didn't have an injured cheek and she was strong enough to not cry about young Haruno.

Finally convincing him to let go of his cheek, she cleaned it with her handkerchief.

"Don't Ino...it's your favorite one and it's white; blood stains are impossible to wash away..."

"Well, that's your problem. It is your handkerchief, after all. "

"What...wait...that's your...are you really sure that you want to give it to someone like me?"

The way he said it, so much reminded her of Sakura.

"Yes. It's yours. Now go home and rest. I'll come to you tomorrow, so we'll talk. I know it's not the same as watching clouds, but we can't risk infection."

"Un..."

And when little Ino ran away, the older one, curiously neared the boy. Close enough, to hear him whisper those soft words, as he passed her...

"Watching clouds is nothing compared to being with you..."

Ino looked at his retreating back sharply, her heart beating. Why...did he say that? Why didn't she know? Why couldn't she remember how he sacrificed for her?

"Maybe...maybe he does care about me...well, at least I know he cared..."

Suddenly, her vision became blurry...she was falling and darkness surrounded her...

"She is alive but...she might never wake up...in other words she's in coma. There's nothing we can do about it. It's too serious; too deep. We can only hope."

Those words, said by Sakura about twenty minutes ago, still rang in his head, over and over again. And as he sat by her side, his both hands clutching her cold and small one, he couldn't help but wonder:

"Where are you Ino?"

What do people feel when they're in coma? Do they dream? And if she was alive why was she so cold and pale? Even her usually rosy lips were whiter. Not to mention her light hair, now seemed more white than blond, when the bangs fell on her white face. She seemed sleeping; a very quiet and calm dream as she lay still, her chest raising slightly with every small breath she took. The beeping signalized her slowly beating heart.

He started to rub her hand in his, trying to warm her up a bit. It was getting dark but he refused to switch on the light. He didn't want to disturb her sleep, even if he wanted her to wake up.

Finally, when the rubbing didn't work, he intertwined his fingers with hers; slowly bringing her hand to his mouth, kissing it gently in the middle and each of her fingers.

Shikamaru wasn't stupid. He knew that he had work to do; he knew that he'd come here every day and night to be with her. The thought of running to the hospital and back to his house, every day, for who knows how long, didn't please him. So, he used his position as a ninja to organize a separate room for Ino; a room big enough to not only hold her bed and all those machines required to check on her, but also, one more bed and a desk.

If he was going to stay with her for such a long time, might as well be comfortable.

"So, you think you're all that great, ne?"

Another memory. Or something similar, at least. This time, it was at her first days in the ninja academy. She had to stay a little longer in the school because she volunteered to help decorate their class for the graduation party. Unfortunately for her, none of her friends could stay and she had to do it with the help of most unfriendly girls ever. The leader of their band, Ami, used to pick up on Sakura; until Ino "attacked" her with a flower, then embarrassed her in front of the teacher by saying that the flower is poisonous. Since then, she directed her teasing towards Ino. She still couldn't forget her humiliation, when she ran to the teacher, crying and panicking that she was poisoned; everybody laughed at her. Since then, she hold a grudge against the young flower girl. Back then, Ino didn't care. She was happy that Ami left Sakura alone.

This time it was much worse. Usually she had Sakura, she had a motivation to act tough for the young Haruno girl. Now, she was alone.

"You think you're so perfect, right? Just because few boys lost their minds...how pathetic. And I heard that you broke your friendship with the forehead girl? Did she got fed up with you too?"

Ino ignored them, putting more ribbons.

But, her older version could see the fire in her own, younger eyes and the tightly clenched jaw. She could see her slightly trembling lips and she knew why was she silent that day. She couldn't say anything against truth.

"Do you even KNOW what your name means? Well, I do. And I have to say, it suits you, you PIG!"

Ino was startled. Did her name really mean a PIG? Out of every animal, it just had to be a pig...

Unable to believe it, the little girl ran home to ask her father about it.

But, the older Yamanaka girl stayed in the classroom. And looks like she did the right thing.

If she hadn't stayed, she wouldn't see a tall boy with a spiky ponytail, entering the classroom.

"I'm looking for Ino. Where is she?"

"Oh, you mean the pig? Well, she went home. Serves her right, a crypig!"

"...What did you just call her?"

"Pig! That's what her name means! Heh, she was crying. Too bad you didn't come earlier; I bet you never saw a crying pig before!"

All the girls were laughing. Next second, they were choking.

"He could use Kage kubi shibari no jutsu when he was still ten years old? How...oh right...he's a genius..."

The girl's faces were turning red. Shikamaru stood, with his head bowed. A strange aura could be felt emanated by him, a frightening one; he rarely got angry. Why now...?

"You're more pigs than her, with your red faces. If you ever call her like that, or in any other way make her cry, I'll make sure you regret being born. Understood?"

He never waited for a response; he quickly turned on his heel, and stalked out of the classroom. Ino could see him slowly heading towards her house.

"He did...something like that for me? Shikamaru..."

Her vision started to blur once more; but before it did, she could see vivid memories of three girls, with Ami in the front, bowing and apologizing respectfully to her. All the time being carefully observed by a tall boy that stood by her side.

She could also see the same boy, in her room, gently drying her tears while explaining that names have no value; they're just a bunch of syllables.

"Despite what the rose is called, it will forever smell sweet. Regardless if it is called ramen, onion, poison, even a pig, it would still smell sweet."

And the last thing she saw, was the little girl's bright smile through tears and the boy, gently patting her head which was lying on his shoulder.