Warning: Smushed up words and a shoujo-ai moment. Seriously warning anyone who is homophobic out there. I don't want to hear any complaints about it is why.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but the plot.

Beta Reader:Wolf-Enzeru. I really, really, really, REALLY love her! The fact that she's able to put up with a lazy writer like me is truly unbelievable. Thank you Wolfie! (waves maniacally) BTW. No blaming her for ANY of my mistakes.

Chapter 15: Suki

"You what?"

"Naruto, you heard me. Please don't make me repeat myself." I rubbed the side of my head. Today had been tiring. He only stared at me in disbelief.

"How can you say that? What you did was one-sided! You didn't even talk it over with me!" he cried, clenching his fists tightly at his side. "Why did you even do it in the first place? You killed our child!"

Sighing, I leaned back in my chair and looked up at the ceiling, not wanting to meet his eyes. "Naruto...I had the abortion before the egg had time to fully fertilize itself. It wouldn't have exactly been considered a human life yet. And besides, I'm occupied with my life enough as a Medic Nin. I don't have the time to take care of a newborn."

"If that was the case, then I could've taken care of it!"

Even though I wasn't looking at him, I could already imagine the look on his face; a sad, yet confused and angered expression. I had already predicted in my mind what his reaction to the news would be, and yet I did it anyway. I may have been a crueler person than I thought.

"Naruto, there's no use in pursuing the subject any further. Give it a rest, it's been done already and there's nothing we can do about it anyways."

He became silent.

I slowly sat up straight to look at him, our eyes not meeting. He held his head down, staring at the floor.

"Sakura..." He raised his head. "...I love you."

I gulped down the lump in my throat, turning my head away. "Naruto..."

"I love you," he repeated, walking over and wrapping his arms around me from behind.

My bottom lip bled from the bite I had given it.

Naruto really wasn't being fair.

He knew how I felt about Sasuke.

Once again, I tilted my head back to have Naruto bend down and kiss me.

Our kiss was the same, but left a bitter aftertaste.

"Hi-na-taaa!" I threw my arms around the other girl's waist and snuggled against her soft body. "Your cooking really the best! Maybe I should marry you instead."

At this, her face reddened.

"I-Ino, don't s-say such silly things!" She pried me off from her and went into the kitchen. The sound of running water was heard.

"Oi, I'm right here you know." I turned my head to see Shikamaru. He sat on the couch with a book in hand. Walking over, I sat beside him resting my head on his shoulder.

"Are you jealous?" I wanted to see what his answer was.

He scoffed. "Over you? Yeah right. When pigs fly."

"You shouldn't lie."

"I'm not lying."

"Then you really wouldn't mind if I made Hinata my wife?"

"Tch. Baaa-kaaa. You're both girls."

"So? Who said girls can't love each other?" I pulled at his hair-band, shoulder-length black hair falling down.

He became quiet for a few seconds. "Do you...really like her?" he asked, turning his head the other way. His blush went as far to his ears. I couldn't help but smile at how cute he was being.

"Well...if I was a guy, I probably would, but-"leaning over, I quickly pecked him a kiss on the lips. He responded with a slightly surprised expression. "-that shouldn't matter since I have you," I said grinning.

He suddenly grabbed me from the back of my head and pulled me against his chest. Listening closely, I could hear the sound of his heart beating wildly.

"You have you're answer now," he said.

"Is that so?"

He held me in that position for a bit until the loud sound of something shattering was heard close by.

We both looked up to see Hinata standing there red-faced, her body trembling. On the ground lay several shards of cups and spilt tea.

"I-I-I'm so s-sorry I didn't mean to-I just-"she quickly bent down to gather the broken pieces in hand running into the kitchen to discard them and return with a towel, wiping up the mess.

I got up to assist her. Seeing my face, she looked really embarrassed, turning her head the other way. I giggled to myself.

"Hinata, you don't have to apologize."

"B-b-but you and Shikamaru-san were-"

"We weren't doing anything."

She looked at me. Her face seemed to say "That's a lie."

I sighed and turned towards Shikamaru. He immediately got up. "Understood."

Walking over to the door, he pulled it open and said "Thanks for the dinner Hinata, it was delicious." With those last words, he walked out leaving the two of us alone.

Hinata still red in the face however hurriedly wiped up the tea. After finishing, she discarded the towel in the waste-basket, fleeing to her room. Her door slammed shut, though I don't think it was intentional. I followed her inside; gently closing the door till the click was heard. As usual, the room remained dark; even so, I could still see her lying in the bed on her side curled up in a ball. Walking over, I pulled open the curtains, a pool of moonlight filling the room. Hinata sat up, staring at me meekly.

"You...should've told me the both of you were going to get cozy together," she sulked. "I would've left."

Exasperated, I threw my hands up and sat down beside her.

"Like I said, we weren't doing anything. It was just one of those moment things and we cuddled a bit, that's all."

"Yeah, but still."

I struggled to hold back my laughter.

"Are you jealous?" I asked once again.

She was silent for a bit, and then said "No" with a pout on her face.

That was it. I couldn't take it anymore. I laughed aloud, surprising the Hyuga. She looked surprised, but then became embarrassed.

"What's so funny?"

"It's-It's nothing. The both of you are just so cute; I don't even know what to do anymore."

"The both of you?"

I waved my hand at her to dismiss the idea.

"Really, it's nothing." She had an unsure look on her face.

Once calm, I threw my arms around her neck, the both of us falling into the clean white sheets of her bed.

"Hey, Hinata?"

"Hm?"

"Do you love me?"

Silence. "Yes."

"Can I...kiss you then?"

She said nothing.

Taking that as a yes, I used my arms as a support to hold myself up and kiss her on the lips. It was only for about a minute before we parted. "How was that?"

"I've...had better," she smiled.

I scoffed, pretending to be offended. "Excuse me? I'll have you know that I'm the best kisser in all of Konoha. Here, I'll prove it to you now!" I attacked her with the false intention to kiss.

"Kyaa! Get away you pervert!" she laughed.

We wrestled for what seemed like hours, tangled up in the bed sheets, breathing hard. I turned on my side to face her. She did the same. I smiled at her. She returned it.

"I guess...I was a little jealous," she confessed averting her gaze. "When I saw the two of you sitting there like that, I had this sudden feeling that...you would be taken away from me." She giggled to herself. "I know, I sound like such a kid."

Reaching over, I gently stroked her soft blue-hair, twirling a bit of it around my finger.

"You're so silly."

"Don't worry, I'll grow up. You can't take care of me for the rest of your life, right?" She didn't wait for an answer, but instead pulled my hand away from her hair and towards the side of her face. The sudden movement surprised me a bit. "I love you Ino."

"Me too."

"After what happened with Naruto, I don't think men are such a good idea anymore, but that doesn't mean I'm chasing after women or anything. I think...I should just steer clear of men for a bit."

"Knowing you, you'd probably steer clear of them for the rest of your life," I chuckled.

"Who knows? Maybe I would. If one of us were born as a man however, do you think we could fall in love with each other?"

It was at times like these when I didn't know what to say. Whenever she had that distant look on her face, it was hard to tell whether or not what you said got through to her at all.

"I don't think that's such a good idea though."

She got up at this.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because there just so happens to be a certain someone waiting for you."

"Wh-what? Who?"

"It should be pretty obvious Hinata. Remember Mr. Forceful?"

Her face immediately went red at this. I honestly found her to be the cutest thing on earth.

"I-I already told you it's not like that!" she cried.

"Oh really? Then tell me what it is like. First off, he asks you out on a date, kisses you, and then attempts rape."

"Th-that w-wasn't rape!-Wait a minute. How do you know about that? I never told you about what happened at the date," she asked looking confused.

"T-that's not important." Oh crap, I almost let it slip out that Sasuke told me about that. If he finds out, he's going to kill me. I sat up straight this time facing her.

If I had the choice to, I would have probably chosen to take care of her for the rest of her life, but something like that would only hold her back. It was for her own good that I was giving her this push.

"There's no way...that he could like me Ino. I just know it."

Good, she forgot about it. "Has he ever said that?"

"Well no, but-"

"Then stop running away." Now was the time to be stern with her. It was now or never. "Do you really think all men are like that? What Naruto did was his own choice. He chose to fall in love with somebody else, just like Sasuke chose to fall for you."

"B-but don't you think that's weird Ino? I mean, we've hardly talked until now. I find it impossible to think that he even likes me."

I held both sides of her face in my hands firmly.

"Hinata, he loves you."

Once again, her face became red.

"H-How would you know that?" she asked, a hint of anger in her voice.

"Because..."I leaned forward to whisper into her ear. "...he's waiting for you right now at the training grounds near the academy.

That damned Ino. I can't believe she decided a meeting spot for us.

I kicked at the ground, sending bits of dirt into the air. There was a cool breeze today, considering that summer was far from finished. I then remembered the blonde's words from a week ago.

"You guys will be meeting here. I'll do my best to get her to go, but then again, it's all up to her. Same goes for you pretty boy. If you feel for her as much as I think you do, then you'll wait patiently."

Easy for her to say. Besides that, I'd already planned to do this by myself. I honestly don't know what's been wrong with me lately. I feel like I'm being pulled around.

A loud rumble was then heard overhead I looked up to see dark-gray clouds and a sudden downpour of rain.

This was just great.

"No wonder it was chilly." Grumbling, I went over to the large tree and sat under it. If I was lucky enough, maybe the thick branches would shield me a bit from the rain-or not. A drizzle of water directly poured down on my head. By now, my clothes were soaked to the point of clinging to my body. I shivered.

Maybe I should go home…

That thought however vanished the instant I remembered who I would be waiting for.

Gritting my teeth together, I told myself to bear with it, no matter how long it would take.

Two hours later:

I wiped off the sweat on my forehead. "Phew, I'm beat. Who would've thought a genin could fracture so many bones through one session of training."

Lying on the bed, the twelve-year old boy looked down embarrassed, his face burning red.

"I'm sorry Sakura-san," he mumbled.

I grinned and patted him on the head. "It's okay, besides, it is my job after all. I live to take care of people like you."

"What do you mean 'people like me?'"

"Nothing." I leaned down to kiss his forehead. "Just make sure you rest properly. In two or three days, the fracture should be healed." He nodded obediently.

How cute!

Pulling off the dress cover, I hung it up on the rack and gathered my things.

"Sensei, good work today," called one of the nurses. "Your shift is over; you can leave now if you'd like."

"Thanks, you too," I called back. I reached for one of the hospital umbrellas and made my way outside, opening it. Once out, I realized just how much it had been raining.

Looks like a tsunami hit Konoha or something. Well, whatever. I like the rain anyways. Puts me to sleep easily.

On the way to my apartment, I decided to stop by the academy for a bit since it was close by. Standing in front of the building brought back a lot of memories. Together with Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi-sensei. I let out a wistful sigh; something that I found was unlikely of me.

"No time to daydream now girl," I told myself, slapping my cheeks lightly. I was about to set off for home again, that is until I tripped over a large root growing from the ground. Without my knowing, it had been hidden by the wet and slushy mud, which I also fell into.

"Damn it." Having lost my grip on the umbrella after the fall, I looked around to see that it had rolled towards the bushes and trees. "This is just great," I muttered to myself. My pants were dirtied with mud as was my white blouse. I'm so taking a bath when I get home. A long one that is.

Standing up was somewhat of a pain, since that only seemed to make me sink down. I took large steps to keep from sinking. Once that umbrella was in my hand, I would be out of here as far as I knew. Away from all the mud and cold water, away-

"S-Sasuke?"

If this were a dream, I really hope I would never have to wake up.

Before my very eyes sat Sasuke. He was resting against a rather large tree, soaking wet. I reached out to touch the side of his face. I pulled back instantly the moment my fingers met with his pale skin.

He was so cold. Much colder than the rain that fell down.

"What the-"What is he doing out here? I bent down beside him to examine him. He really was wet. Even his usual spiky hair was down and dripping with water. Though it was for a very short moment, I could see that he was shivering. The expression on his face resembled that of a sick child, waiting to be tended to by his mother. I gently cupped the side of his face in my hand.

"What…were you thinking?"

"You WHAT?"

"You heard me," Ino replied coolly.

Baffled, I pointed outside the bedroom window at the heavy rainfall. "Y-you-how c-could you?"

"What's the big deal? Like I said, if he's still waiting for you out in this weather, then you'll at least understand how he feels, right?"

"Th-that's not the point Ino! It's raining!-badly!"

"Then you better hurry on. You don't want him to get sick because of you don't you?"

I shook my head in frustration. "Ah! I can't believe you!" Making my way towards the closet, I fumbled around in the dark to find my raincoat. Pulling it on, I hurriedly put on my boots as well. Walking over, I opened the window, ready to jump out. "If Uchiha-san gets sick, you're going to be in big trouble," I warned.

Ino wagged her finger at me. "We'll see about that," she said with a smirk

"You-"I decided to ignore her and leave. Turning away, I jumped out and ran as far as my legs would carry me. I only hoped though that it would at least be all the way to the academy.

Uchiha-san, if you're still there, I'm really sorry!

A/N: Yay, I finally updated! I wonder if anyone out there is happy about it...oh well. But anyways. This chapter if any of you noticed had some shoujo-ai moments. Hope none of you freaked out or anything, but if you did don't worry. That's the only shoujo-ai moment throughout the whole story. Also, I would like to take the time to clarify Ino and Hinata's relationship with any of you who are confused.

First off, they started out as friends, but during the nearly three months they lived together, they've obviously gotten closer. Well, it kind of goes like this. Ino took on the burden to take care of someone, who is Hinata, while Hinata herself is slowly having her wounds healed by Ino and in time forgot about Naruto. This of course only helps her get closer to Ino who understands her the most.

Now for their relationship. I've made it clearly obvious that Ino has some unrequited feelings of love for Hinata, but Hinata obviously can't see it that well. She is aware of her feelings for Ino as another kind of love, but also a sisterly love too. Originally, they're not bi, but in some sort of way they are. The feelings they have towards each other are as innocent as very close friends, close to the point of almost being considered lovers. ALMOST. And when both of them said if one of them were born as a man, would they fall in love with each other? My answer to that is yes, but it's because they're both girls that they can't, so they just face reality and accept it. Anyways, Ino is still in love with Shikamaru with unrequited feelings towards Hinata while Sasuke loves Hinata, but she's still confused about why he would love her and whether she can love him back or not.

End of explanation.

Thank you everyone for your kind reviews! I love all of you! 333