A bright shower of ice crystals, along with the howl of the winter night shot life into the house as she finally unlocked the door. A wall of boxes clothed in wrappings of all colors and textures came crashing down into the open doorway before she did.
"Alright, Ino-Pig, I'll see you soon! And go easy on Kiba tomorrow morning. He's a great shinobi so Konoha needs him in one piece!"
"Can't promise you that, Forehead! Tomorrow Fido is all mine, so screw Konoha!" Ino taunted back to Sakura before stepping into her house, which was now blanketed in a thick sheet of snow.
Sakura laughed aloud, though it could barely be heard above the night's airy hollers.
"Kay, Ino, gotta go. Merry Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas!"
Ino finally shut the maelstrom of white out of her house, effectively silencing the hollers of Christmas out as well. She lightly kicked her legion of gifts from her family and friends, hoping that her examination of anyone of them being fragile was accurate, into the corner of the living room by the couch. She took special care with Kiba's present; wrapped in green gift wrapping with a glistening red ribbon tied around as its bow, placing it down on the seat of the nearby couch. Instead of stomping the snow that clung to her leather boots off into the carpet, Ino was content to just take them off and leave them at the entrance of the door. She then peeled the hood, ringed with the fur of mink, off of her head. She pulled her platinum-blonde locks, tied in its usual ribbon, out of its place beneath the back part of her baby-blue winter jacket. She unzipped her jacket as well, shaking off the snow flakes that attached to it at the same time, and took it off to reveal her white cotton sweater…. It was actually pretty warm in the house… She must have left the heat running accidentally when she left the house about 6 hours ago. Damn. Kiba was going to have a fit when he saw the gas bill.
It wasn't until she turned away from placing her jacket on the coat rack that she noticed the soft orange illumination of candles coming from her bedroom.
"O, Kiba… I knew you would find a way…"
Fido was home. This explained why the heat was turned on… but once Ino saw the candle light, the gas heater was no longer necessary. If there was any snow left clinging to her clothing it would have been melted from the heat coming off of Ino's smoldering body. She was smiling so hard that her face muscles were hurting. As she glided toward her room with a number of colorful thoughts dancing in her mind, she almost wanted to pull off of her clothing before she made it to the room just to see the look on his face… She bit down on her lower lip as she glided on.
She could feel the fire within her burn hotter and hotter with every step, the tongue of those inner flames ascending up and licking the base of her heart. The smoke from the inner fire arose into her mind, providing cover so that the vivid fantasies could run on without interruption. By the time she was but a few feet from the open door to her room the fire was torturous. The tongue of her flames tickled her heart mercilessly, and she almost giggled. She pulled off her sweater to reveal a tight white t-shirt, but sufficed to keep the rest of herself dressed. This way, Fido would have two presents to unwrap.
As soon as she turned her head into the doorway her heart dropped… as did her huge smile. It turned out to be a good thing that she kept her clothes on… There was no Fido in sight!
"FIDO?!?!?" She called out with a pout and a pinch of frustration.
After waiting a few moments for an answer she became even more distraught. If he was planning on surprising her he would have jumped on top of her from the closet a few seconds ago. Ino knew how long it took for Kiba to crack under the pressure of sexy foreplay games, and it wasn't very long at all… And even if the dog boy had managed to become more 'tame' since the last time they spoke, Akamaru would have ruined the surprise by barking by now.
In the blink of an eye, her frustration was morphed into sudden awareness. She sharpened her eyes by narrowing them and spread her legs apart in a battle stance. She almost thought to pull out a kunai. These were dangerous times for Konoha… it was unlikely their enemies had made it past the village borders undetected, but this could be a trap. Ino and Kiba, like most of the Rookie Nine, had both become renowned and feared shinobi to Konoha's enemies and it was likely that said enemies knew of their relationship with each other. Because they knew of their relationship, it was possible they could exploit it.
"Sigh… Take it easy, girl…"
The jounin eased her own mind and sighed in relief as she saw the contents on the bed between the scented candles that burned on the dressers on either side of the mattress. She walked over slowly to her bed, bathed in the fiery hues of the candle's light. Her steps were filled with caution and her eyes were filled with intrigue as she stood over the contents.
"iAwww!!!/i"
She sat at the edge of the bed and ran her hands over the shimmering golden wrappings of the rectangular present that lay on the pillows. She smiled with the warmth of fresh-baked cookies as her nails dug into a huge gap between where the wrapping should have met and overlapped (obviously, Kiba had wrapped it himself), and stripped the wrapping off. Inside was a rectangular box. It was one piece of egg-colored cardboard covering and fitting over another piece of cardboard… Ino knew the style of packaging very well. It was obviously clothes!
She violently yanked off the top piece of cardboard and was ready to burrow into the thin paper material (which generally accompanied this type of clothing packages) when she noticed the folded piece of loose leaf paper. She picked up the piece of paper from its perch atop the paper material of the box, unfolded it, and began to read.
"GOTCHA!!!!"
Ino's eyes narrowed in anger as she kept the same warm smile. She should have known.
HAH!, I wish I could see the look on your face the exact moment you realized I'm not there anymore! I bet the candles got you all 'in the mood' and everything, didn't they? Keep it in your panties, you pervert!
"Hardy har har…Very funny, asshole.."
But seriously, sorry about tricking you! And don't worry I'll be home pretty early tomorrow so try to stay warm for me until then. You better be awake by the time I get there.
"Hmph. Is that so?"
Sorry again for not being there today. I'll make it up to you, baby.
"Damn right, you will."
I wanted to catch you before you went out with Sakura, but I guess I was too late. I waited here for about 20 minutes, but I had to leave again. I just wish you were here right now. It's so strange. I never wanted you this bad in a long time. It's almost like the feeling I got when we first started going out. On our dates I was always just waiting for you to stop talking so I could kiss you. I would do anything to have you back then. It's just like that right now. I want to kiss you, Ino.
"mmmmm… Kiba." She could almost feel his breath against her warm flesh as she guided her own hand up and down her neck.
But, I'll stop wasting paper now. Your probably wondering how I came back, eh? The truth is there was a little recess time during the Inauguration Ceremony, so I managed to get out of the meeting for a little while. Just like I thought, the whole proceeding is pretty boring… and bizarre. A group of the elder clan members were doing strange things with a tiny dog statue. Creepy things. I'll tell you all about it when I get back.
"Yippy… can't wait." Sarcasm encircled her mind as she took her hand off of her neck.
You probably threw this note away because you were tearing into your present too fast.
"Heh. Shows what you know."
But on the off-chance that you haven't, you can go open your gift. But don't read the next paragraph until you're done looking at your gift! Okay, open it……… NOW!
"Idiot."
Ino lowered the note from her eyes and finally removed the thin paper blanket. The house could barely contain her eyes as they widened in shock. She couldn't even think a word, little own say one. She lifted it up into the air by its shoulder straps, wanting to see it set ablaze by the light of the candles. Ino finally let out a gasp of ecstasy as her right hand passed over the soft fabric of the most breathtaking negligee she had ever seen. There was no way he brought this in this village… the tender, shimmering taupe color of this indescribably soft fabric wasn't typical of Konoha fashion. The 'lack of modesty' in the gown was also very unlike The Village Hidden in Leaves. She hadn't measured it against her own body yet, but she could already tell it would barely touch the top of her knees. The upper hem of the negligee's bust was all but see-through and had rose-shaped cuts in the fabric to reveal even more skin… After the haze of amazement had cleared out of the room, Ino immediately hugged the gorgeous gown against herself in place of the man who gave it, swaying her hips from side-to-side as she smiled dreamily. The material was so damn soft… She picked up the note and began reading as she demanded an answer, an explanation behind how he could possibly make her so happy.
Nice, isn't it?
She laughed aloud at the over-simplification, tears of joy begging to be released.
Don't worry about exactly where or how I got it. I have my connections. They told me the light-brown color worked best with your natural complexion, or something. I told them baby-blue was your favorite color, and they assured me once you saw the gown that it wouldn't make a difference. The silk is from the Wind Country. I don't pretend to understand this stuff, but I do know that I never felt anything so soft and light in my life. It feels like a dream.
THAT was the perfect way to put it! Like a dream… It appears the material wasn't as indescribable as Ino imagined.
I want you to sleep in it. I want to see you in it when I get back! Okay, I have spent enough time here. I have to leave again. I'll have another present with me when I come back. Akamaru helped me out with this one! Anyway, I'll see you then. Love ya, baby.
Ino crashed down against her bed, overtaken and utterly overpowered by love. She held on to the negligee with a terrifying grip, and eventually arose from the bed with a warmth in her heart that would make the flames of the scented candle lower their heads in shame. She waltzed over to the full-body mirror on the closet door, and pressed the gown against herself to see how it would fit. She smiled at her own reflection like she just got away with murder. She suddenly began to walk out of the bed room with the gown still in her hand. She made her way to the picture frame sitting on the third shelf to a wooden display case in the living room, and stopped in front of it.
"NOW do you approve?" she spoke suddenly with the muscle-pulling smile on her face. "See, I told you he was a good catch! Just look at what he brought me…"
Ino displayed the gown in front of the picture, holding it out to the picture as though she was giving it to it.
"I wish you could feel the silk!...AND that's not all! Look at this note he left me!"
She was talking quickly and sporadically like a hyperactive 5 year old. She ran up to the display case and laid the note flatly in front of the picture.
"It's pretty romantic…. He tries to hide it, but he's a hopeless romantic just like you!"
Ino sat down on the floor and looked up at the picture, continuing the conversation.
"He may not buy me roses, but he's definitely romantic like you… he was rough around the edges when we first started dating, but I think I did a good job fixing him up, don't you?"
She let the question hang in the air for a moment… and kept talking once more.
"I just wonder when he's going to put a ring around my finger…. Yeah, I know I'm still pretty young, but I definitely know I wouldn't regret it. I love him so much…."
She sighed… her eyes wondered away from the picture and toward the window. She watched the snow fall for a while.
"… Oh, and I'm taking care of those two, just like you wanted me to! Well…. I more take care of Chouji then anything else. Temari does a pretty good job keeping Shikamaru in line these days, but I still smack him every now and then just to keep him on his toes!"
Ino sighed tiredly.
"Their every bit as wishy-washy as they were back then… Their both a handful to deal with, but nothing I can't manage."
She allowed the silence to hang in the air.
"And about the other thing you said…. Give me time! Some say that Sakura has already surpassed the Hokage Tsunade-sama in skill! That's a helluva lot to compete with! But, I promised…. And I will not let her beat me in ninjutsu…. Besides, the praise I am getting for my performance in the recent ANBU missions says I am no slouch myself!"
Silence. Even the howls of winter ceased.
"But I definitely have her beat on the battlefield of love!" Ino frowned harshly. "That's not to say I'm happy about it, though… She took Sasuke's death pretty hard… we all did… to this day, it doesn't even seem real to us."
Silence.
"Yeah, she still has Naruto…. to be honest, I hate the way they both act with each other… They admit to loving each other, and she tells me they have kissed more then once, but somehow Sasuke's death never lets either of them go too far… It's like there always just getting started, and never quite make it anywhere…. Sometimes I feel like crying when I think of how unhappy Sakura and Naruto have become... I hope they eventually find what I have found with Kiba… I hope they find it, and get lost in it… just like I have."
Ino looked back up at the picture, and laughed nervously.
"…It's been a long time since we've spoken… but, I'm just not good at this sort of stuff. I know Shikamaru and Chouji do it all the time… but it's weird for me. I hope you don't think I'm ignoring you…"
Ino dropped her head and stared into the gown.
"No… I'm definitely not ignoring you. It's just that this is very uncomfortable for me…"
Silence once more.
"….. Okay, I'm going to leave soon. Don't take this the wrong way, but your beginning to bum me out a little." Ino said with a giggle.
The silence definitely was 'bumming' her out, but that didn't stop it from being silent all the more.
"In fact, I don't know how this talking to the dead is supposed to help anyone out! They say it helps deal with the grief, but how? It's not like you're going to respond back. You can't hear me… MAN, this is so depressing! I just don't get it at all."
…
"…Remember the last Christmas we all spent together? It was snowing, and Shikamaru didn't want to come out and make snowmen with us. He said it was troublesome and childish. So, we snuck into his house, and threw him out into the snow in his underwear!"
Ino burst into laughter, before sighing once more.
"… We had so many good times…. I miss you…. I miss you so much."
A chord of pain struck on her last word, and caused her to put more emphasis on it then she liked. She wiped the first tear away quickly, but the grief was merciless. Her face scrunched up in anger, and her lungs pushed out the sobs she was holding back. A few streams ran down her face, but most of her tears stayed within her eyelids, making her eyes red and weary. She allowed the gown to rest beside her on the carpet. She threw her arms over her face, and rested her heavy head against the carpet she sat on. Her sobs eventually filled the room, and her body trembled as she still tried to fight back her mourning. She wept bitterly and loudly, her breathing became quick and spastic. She tried to get a hold of herself, but it was much too late for that. She sunk down drowsily into her grief-stricken stupor, allowing the sobs free reign for a moment. Beneath her arms she shook her head against the carpet, dampening it with tears. She almost hollered as she forced the pain out of her lungs all at once... Ino's body continued to tremble as she eventually began to take deep breaths again. She lifted up her heavy head, and slowly wiped the tears from her darkened face.
"S-See what you made me do!" She exclaimed in a mix of humor and exasperation, sniffing heavily.
….
She continued rubbing her eyes and wiping the moisture off of her cheeks
"Like I said…. I'm not good at this stuff at all… It's been a few years now, so you'd think it would be easier…. sorry that it isn't."
…
"Anyway, I'm going to try on this negligee now… I just wanted to let you know that you don't have to worry about me anymore… I'm in love with a very good man who does enough worrying for all three of us!…."
….
"Not that you're out of a job, or anything!... I'm just saying you can rest a little easier… at least when it comes to me… I'm in very capable hands these days…Lets just both hope he takes a hint and decides to get that ring soon!"
Ino stood up from the ground, dusted herself off and sighed in relief. She began smiling at the picture again. In some twisted way... This was the best Christmas Ino had ever had… and it was all thanks to two men…. Two men she was hopelessly in love with. She took the note away from the picture. She looked at the picture for a moment.
"Don't tell Kiba I still felt a little lonely tonight… It's such a turn-off when he gets too mushy."
She picked up the frame, and lightly pressed her lips against the glass cover with that warmth in her heart that made all the candle flames in the world ashamed.
"Don't tell Kiba I did that either! He is SO jealous sometimes…"
…
"Merry Christmas, sensei…"