Of Refilling Juices and Serving Grilled Meat
bold -song lyrics
italic - thoughts
"Are you sure you're ready for them to know?"
Ino stopped short and glanced to her side. Sai had his trademark smile on but after months of dating, she finally started to distinguish the tiny difference present in his smile. She tightened her hold on his hand. "Of course! I wouldn't want to keep something this big from everyone." She smirked. "I can't wait to see whose jaw will drop first. Sakura or Naruto's."
Sai let out a small chuckle "My money's on Naruto." They resumed their walk towards Yakiniku. It's rare for everyone in their small circle of friends to have the same day off but after weeks of Naruto's relentless badgering of finally giving them a break, Kakashi finally agreed. The weather that night was nice. The sky is clear and the wind is cool, tell tale signs that autumn has finally arrived. It's been years since the Great Ninja War, and aside from the occasional threats from rogue ninjas, and a few Kage events here and there that was always a big headache to village security, everything was relatively peaceful.
And with peaceful times like this, romance blossomed between fellow ninjas. Naruto and Hinata's wedding 8 months ago being the most prominent example. No one expected that they will be the first one to get married, with Naruto, the brave village hero that he was, finally having the balls to propose to Hinata. A few relationships happened here and there. Choji and Karui, Shikamaru and Temari, Him and Ino. Sai heard this rumor that Lee went out with Ayame of Ichiraku ramen a few times, and just the other day, he saw Tenten and Kotetsu briefly brush hands after a meeting, before heading their separate ways, both faces tinged with a slight blush. Yes indeed, the springtime of youth has finally arrived, as Gai-sensei repeatedly kept saying.
A few minutes passed, with nothing but Ino's melodic humming keeping them company as they neared the barbecue place. Sai never thought that Ino had this great talent when it comes to singing, a secret he unexpectedly stumbled upon this one time he arrived at the Yamanaka flower shop a good 30 minutes early for their date and heard Ino softly singing while strumming a song on her late father's guitar. Ino's thinly veiled threats convinced him to keep what he discovered a secret and in return, Ino promised to sing to him from time to time, a feat that Sai thoroughly enjoyed. What surprised him even more is when she told him that not even Chouji or Shikamaru knows, considering how tight knit the bond of the old Team 10 is.
They were a good 10 steps away from Yakiniku when Sai stopped in his tracks, Ino quickly following suit. She shot him a confused look and just when she was about to open her mouth to voice her query, Sai met her eyes and quietly asked.
"Are you sure you're ready for him to know?"
Ino felt herself stiffened before slowly lowering her eyes to the ground. Was she ready for his reaction? Was she ready to answer his questions? Does she even have the answer to those questions? Ino sighed quietly before tightening her hold on her lover's hand. She felt her body being tugged forward before a pair of lips brushed on her forehead. Ino closed her eyes, savoring the cool feel of his lips on her skin. She smiled softly as she lifted her face to kiss Sai's cheek in return. Sweet, observant Sai.
"Let's go."
The store owner's enthusiastic welcome was almost drowned by Kiba's loud yelling.
"STOP EATING MY PORTION OF THE MEAT, CHOUJI! I COOKED THOSE!"
"It's not my fault that you take too long to eat!"
"3 more glasses of beer please!" Naruto suddenly yelled out a bit too loudly, his face bright red, a sure sign that he's already had a few. Hinata was right by his side and was gently trying to convince Naruto to pace himself. Sakura sighed to herself, knowing that Hinata has a long night ahead of her with her piece of work teammate. Her face brightened when she caught sight of Ino and Sai.
"You guys finally made it! We thought you'd ditch us!" Ino took a seat beside Shikamaru who gave her a small smirk before handing her a plate and a glass of juice. Sai took a seat beside Shino who was quietly eating his food.
"As if, billboard brow! You know how mother just leaves the closing of the shop to me. Not my fault you can't relate since you have no business to run." Ino replied back haughtily, a playful smirk on her lips, softening the blow of her words. Sakura huffed. "Yeah, yeah keep telling yourself that. You just wait until I gather enough funds for my clinic, Ino-pig. Your percent ownership just dropped to 30%."
As the girls continued bickering, Shikamaru sighed to himself. All this noise is getting to him. He noticed Ino's glass was almost out of juice and was about to reach for the pitcher when Sai beat him to it, stealthily refilling Ino's glass as the girl continued teasing her best friend. Shikamaru smiled slightly to himself, before looking away. He sometimes still forget that Ino now has Sai to do those things for her. It had always been him serving and refilling Ino's glass of juice whenever the old Team 10 have their weekly dinner. Old habits die hard.
Ino turned to Shikamaru with a slight smile. Apparently, the small refilling incident between her boyfriend and her best guy friend didn't escape her attention. She understands how Shikamaru felt more than anything, as she herself had to stop herself countless times from serving meat to Shikamaru's plate when Temari joined them for their barbecue dinner, which is happening a lot more frequently now that she and Shikamaru are officially in a relationship. Ino smiled slightly. Her best guy friend found his perfect match.
"No Temari tonight?" Shikamaru shook his head.
"Her next visit isn't until next week. Apparently, Gaara has been not so subtly commenting that her responsibility is still to Suna, and not Konoha." Ino couldn't help but giggle. She has heard countless complaints from Shikamaru about how Gaara suddenly started acting like an overprotective younger brother. Sand brat.
Ino opened her mouth to speak further when Sakura leaned forward excitedly. "Hey Ino, did you hear they installed this small performance stage! Let's go sing a bit later!" Ino's eyes followed Sakura's pointing finger and indeed, a small stage with microphone, guitar and karaoke machine was setup in the far right part of the room. She opened her mouth to refute Sakura's offer when Chouji beat her to it.
"Ino doesn't sing." Chouji said, his mouth full of rice and meat. Ino wrinkled her nose before reaching over to smack him in the head. "What did I tell you about speaking when your mouth is full! Stop spraying the table with chewed up food! And how can you be so sure that I don't sing?"
Hinata's eyes widened. "You sing, Ino-chan?" Sakura snorted. "Everyone can sing, Hinata-chan. Doesn't guarantee that that person can sing well." Ino narrowed her eyes at Sakura's teasing, fists trembling with annoyance.
"What are you trying to say, Billboard brow-"
"Ino can sing."
All eyes turned to Sai, who up to now has been eating his share of food quietly. Sai swallowed his bite before continuing, ignoring Ino's eyes that were starting to widen in alarm. "Ino has a wonderful voice."
Kiba butted in. "No freakin' way! Come on, Ino! Get up there and show us what you got!" Everyone in the table chimed in with words of encouragement, excited to be learning something new about their comrade.
Ino's who had been protesting, felt words die on her throat when she saw Shikamaru giving her a curious look. He tilted his head slightly to the direction of the stage. "Go get 'em, tiger." She opened her mouth to let out another weak string of protest when she felt Sai's fingers interlace with her own. She turned to him, her eyes thinly veiled with fear. He gave her a bright smile.
Now's your chance.
Chance for what?
To tell the truth to everyone. To him.
The short telepathic conversation between them shook Ino to the core. Was she ready? Her left hand balled to a fist, feeling a weight on her finger. Ino stood up, took a swig from her juice drink before slowly making her way to the small, slightly lit stage. She could hear the cheers coming from her friends' table, calming her nerves a bit.
She tapped on the microphone before opening her mouth to speak. "Good evening, everyone! My name is Ino Yamanaka and I guess I will be the first one to try out this stage. This is my first time singing to other people, aside from my boyfriend, so if I suck, it's on him." She pointed a manicured hand in Sai's direction, earning a laugh from the eager audience. Sai good naturedly raised his hand in defeat as Sakura slapped his shoulder lightly in jest.
Ino took a deep breath. "Before I start, I would like to tell a small story about the song I'm about to sing. It's a song I composed a few months back when I finally felt strong enough to move on from my first heartbreak. For my first love."
Shikamaru narrowed his eyes in confusion. He didn't know that Ino was undergoing a breakup. He shot a glance at Chouji who didn't mirror his confusion, but instead had this small, sad smile on his face. This puzzled the shadow wielding genius even further before trailing his eyes back to his blond teammate on stage who has taken a seat on the chair provided, the guitar that was initially on the side of the karaoke machine sitting on her lap as she started strumming. Multiple jaws dropped as they watched Ino pluck and strum the guitar as if she has been performing for years. Sai's eyes roamed around the table in amusement.
Naruto's jaw dropped first. Ino owes me $10.
Ino casted one last look in Sai's direction before closing her eyes and opening her mouth.
I have something to tell you
Something happened that you didn't know
It's a secret I have kept for a long time
I almost loved you
I couldn't bring myself to make you feel it before
What this heart feels
And to this day, I still remember
I almost loved you
As Ino continued to sing, she saw flashes of memories. Of every missed opportunity, of every almost spoken confession. Of her and her first love. Of her and Shikamaru.
Now, I can fully admit
I wish we happened
Every one of your question, I avoided
I never imagined that your feelings are true
I don't know what happened
My feelings for you, I never said
Until your heart finally got tired
From waiting for so long
It was then I realized that I almost loved you
And to this day, I still remember
I almost loved you
She liked him since she was 5.
She liked how he did his best to play with her even when he'd rather look at clouds
She liked his pineapple hairstyle and his simple fishnet clothing.
She liked how deviously smart he was
She liked how caring he is even when he tries hard to hide it
She liked how he looked after her and Chouji
She liked how much he respected Asuma-sensei
She liked how he took his responsibility as a Konoha shinobi seriously.
She liked how much he tried to do things for her even when he knows she's more than capable
She liked how he drops by the flower shop every single day just to check on her
She liked how he sees her off when she has a mission and is always the first face she sees as she nears the village welcome arc upon her return
She liked how he keeps her motivated to keep trying her best to become strong so she can stand by his side and support him
She liked him long after she broke his heart by saying no.
She liked him even after he started loving Temari.
She realized she loved him all along when it was too late.
Ino felt her voice wobble as she remembered the day he announced that he and Temari are a couple. How she flashed him her brightest smile and said just how happy she is for them. It hurt but it was for the best. After all, she had her chance and she chose to let her one chance as having him pass.
Now, I can fully admit
I wish we happened
Every one of your question, I avoided
I never imagined that your feelings are true
I don't know what happened
My feelings for you, I never said
Until your heart finally got tired
From waiting for so long
It was then I realized that I almost loved you
And now, she's finally letting go.
Sai gave a sidelong glance at the hokage's assistant. He knows just how deep Ino's feelings for Shikamaru ran. After all, he was the one picking up every broken piece of her heart and putting them back together for the past 2 years. He wiped away every tear Ino shed as she mourned her first love, held her hand and stayed up with her every time she was worried when Shikamaru was on a dangerous mission. He smiled for her when she doesn't have the strength to do so. And eventually, her heart started healing, with every laugh, every stare, every hug and every kiss they shared. Sai held no grudge to Shikamaru. He had an inkling on how much the man had also suffered, if the longing glances he still sometimes gives Ino when she's not looking was any indication. At one point in time, the two team 10 members had their chance at love. And Ino chose not to take that chance, because she knows it will be for the best of Ino-Shika-Cho. Both of them had their hearts broken and eventually healed by different people.
Until your heart finally got tired
From waiting for so long
Ino opened her eyes as the song came to a close. Her eyes met Shikamaru's sad ones as she sang the final line of the song she composed for him.
It was then I realized that I almost loved you
One final strum. Goodbye, Shikamaru.
The slow clapping that eventually turned thunderous broke her out of her eye contact with Shikamaru as she looked at the amazed faces of the other patrons of the restaurant, Kiba and Naruto cheering and whistling the loudest. Ino giggled as she put the guitar back, taking a small bow before she got off the stage and heading back to her friends' table. Sakura met her with an overly tight hug.
"I had no idea you had such an amazing voice! Why have you been holding out on us?!" Chouji nodded his head excitedly in agreement. "You could have performed for us during those boring camping moments during missions! That was incredible! Even Shino was clapping at the end!" Shino coughed slightly before nodding his head. "You did well, Yamanaka." Ino laughed as her friends continued complimenting her until her eyes met Shikamaru's. Her laughter died as she gave him a small smile.
"Cat got your tongue, genius? Say something."
Shikamaru was silent before his lips pulled upwards to form a smirk.
"Never doubted you for a second. Troublesome woman"
Ino's smile widened as she watched Chouji clap a hand on Shikamaru's shoulder, a sad yet comforting expression etched on his chubby face.
"I actually have one more news to share with all of you."
Everyone on the table fell silent as Ino nodded to Sai as a signal. Sai slowly stood up and walked to stand beside Ino, wrapping a pale arm around her waist. They shared a look before Ino slowly raised her left hand, revealing a diamond ring on her finger. A slow, happy smile spread on her face as she heard gasps around the table.
"Sai and I are getting married."
It was 2 hours later when their dinner turned celebratory party finally ended. As everyone gathered outside the store and said their goodbyes, Shikamaru slowly approached Ino and Sai as he pulled out a cigarette from his pocket. He shared a look with Sai who gave him a small smile before turning to his now fiancee.
"I have to pass by the Hokage tower to get some papers. Shikamaru, please walk her home for me."
Sai gave her a kiss on the forehead before she could protest and started walking in the opposite direction. Ino could only look at his retreating back before she heard Shikamaru shuffle slightly beside her.
"Let's go. Your mom's probably worried."
Sai looked back to watch his fiancee walk away with her first love. His smile widened. Closure. Finally.
The trek back to her house was filled with comfortable silence, both of them not wanting to be the first to talk. Their footsteps and Shikamaru's breath as he expelled cigarette smoke from his mouth are the only sound that could be heard.
As they crossed the bridge that would bring them to the entrance of the Ino-Shika-Cho compound, Shikamaru stopped in his tracks and looked up at the sky. The stars are shining really bright tonight.
"Since when?"
"Since before Sai. Since before Sasuke." Ino waited for him to look at her before continuing. "Since forever."
Shikamaru slowly reached out for her hand, his thumb grazing over the glittering diamond on her finger. He raised her hand until it cupped his cheek. He closed his eyes as he took in a breath.
"It's not going to be easy, isn't it? Forgetting?"
Ino fought back the tears that she could feel building behind her eyes and rising from her throat.
"Yes. But it's better than not being in each other's lives at all."
And finally, years after she whispered "No" to him that rainy night he asked her to be his, Shikamaru got his answer.
He slowly let go of her hand before turning around and silently walking towards her house, with her following him closely behind.
As Ino opened the gate of her house, she turned around to face him.
"I love you, Shikamaru. You know that?"
Shikamaru's eyes lazily took in her face before he smirked slightly.
"You wouldn't ask me to give you away on your wedding if you didn't."
I wouldn't have agreed if I didn't feel the same.
Ino gave him a bright smile before tip-toeing to give him a kiss on his cheek.
"Be safe on your way home."
She entered her house and made her way to her room. She didn't bother opening her lights, instead choosing to walk to her window as she watched Shikamaru walk away from her house, stopping briefly to raise his hand in goodbye without looking at her window's direction before continuing his lazy walk home.
Ino lied down on her bed and closed her eyes.
It's been a long night.