AN: No time for a lengthy note, just thanks to waterblossomangel13, , xXkickass-kunoichiXx, Orchird Tiger Lily, Musik Drache, Tobi'sgoodgirllovesSasuSaku, and SuperFreak85 for reviewing the last chapter. Now on to Ino!
I've posted disclaimers already, why do I need one now? Just read already!
Karaoke Night, Chapter 5: History Can Repeat Itself/The Way I Loved You
Kiba scratched behind Akamaru's ears absently, keeping an eye on Shikamaru. His brainiac friend hunched in his seat, rubbing the sparse stubble he called facial hair as he thought.
Kiba cleared his throat, unable to resist any longer. "So…Shikamaru…Temari, huh?"
Shikamaru—along with Neji, Naruto, and Sasuke—raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Looks that way. Why?" But he had his knowing face on, the one where he knew what you were thinking and that you didn't want to talk about it.
Kiba swallowed the guilty lump in his throat and tried anyway. "Well…"
"And now, ladies and gentlemen," the MC interrupted, "Three Challengers down, two to go! Up next, let's hear a warm Leaf welcome for the one, the only, the silver-blonde kunoichi with a voice of gold, INO YAMANAKA!"
To Kiba's great annoyance, all the males in the room immediately shot to their feet as Ino loped up the steps to the stage. To Kiba's great concern, he noticed the red tinge surrounding her ice blue eyes, the smudged eye make-up, and the carelessly mussed hair. Ino was, to put it bluntly, upset.
"Hey, boys," she slurred into the mic, and Kiba frowned at the alcohol in her voice; Akamaru whuffed his quiet agreement. "So I just dumped a great guy and realized something about an old flame. Take a guess at what it is."
Kiba strained forward, aching for her. Ino, he thought, what have you gotten yourself into now?
oOo
Ino let her head loll downwards until her chin touched her collarbone. Her audience would think the move a flirtatious ploy, but really, she was just tired. Weary to the bone. As tired as all the other girls back at her table. The thing that set her apart was how crappy she felt about hurting someone else. Nodding in time to the rhythmic guitar as it sounded over the club speakers, Ino lifted her head and let the emotions take her.
He is sensible and so incredible
And all my single friends are jealous
He says everything I need to hear and it's like
I couldn't ask for anything better
He opens up my door and I get into his car
And he says you look beautiful tonight
And I feel perfectly fine
But, like Temari said, fine wasn't good enough, not when she knew there was something more for her out there…
But I miss screamin' and fightin' and kissin' in the rain
And it's 2 a.m. and I'm cursin' your name
You're so in love that you act insane
And that's the way I loved you
Breakin' down and comin' undone
It's a roller coaster kinda rush
And I never knew I could feel that much
And that's the way I loved you
The pain had been doubled, but so had the passion and the joy. She'd let Kiba take her farther than she'd let Shikamaru, and a small part of her whispered that she didn't want anyone but Kiba doing that to her again.
He respects my space and never makes me wait
And he calls exactly when he says he will
He's close to my mother, talks business with my father
He's charming and endearing and I'm comfortable
When the hell was a kunoichi's life about being comfortable, goddammit! It was about taking risks, stepping out of your comfort zone, and living life to its fullest while you still had the time. Maybe because her work life was so chaotic, she'd felt the need to have a placid personal life…but that didn't exactly work out.
But I miss screamin' and fightin' and kissin' in the rain
And it's 2 a.m. and I'm cursin' your name
You're so in love that you act insane
And that's the way I loved you
Breakin' down and comin' undone
It's a roller coaster kinda rush
And I never knew I could feel that much
And that's the way I loved you
She'd forgotten that his argumentative nature was one of the things she so enjoyed about him. His aggression, his stubbornness, his loyalty, his never-die attitude, his total and complete lack of pretenses…all the things that made him Kiba, all the things Shikamaru wasn't, all the things she loved…
He can't see the smile I'm faking
And my heart's not breaking
Cause I'm not feeling anything at all
And you were wild and crazy
Just so frustrating, intoxicating, complicated
Got away by some mistake and now
Shikamaru, bless him, was too confused with his own feelings to notice hers, and she didn't blame him for it. It was her fault. She'd never realized what a special thing she and Kiba had, and now she craved it more than a drug addict craved heroine. It was a constant ache inside her that refused to go away, and now she had no choice but to give in to it.
I miss screamin' and fightin' and kissin' in the rain
It's 2 a.m. and I'm cursin' your name
I'm so in love that I acted insane
And that's the way I loved you
Breakin' down and comin' undone
It's a roller coaster kinda rush
And I never knew I could feel that much
And that's the way I loved you oh, oh
Ino could feel the traitorous ache in her throat, but the tears only put that much more conviction into her song. She still loved him. But it was too late to do anything about it.
And that's the way I loved you oh, oh
Never knew I could feel that much
And that's the way I loved you
oOo
Kiba stared, openmouthed, as Ino hopped off the stage without acknowledging her hard-won applause. He thought he'd seen her at her most emotional when they were together…boy, was he ever wrong.
"Kiba?"
Kiba looked over at Shikamaru's shrewd, amused, and resigned expression and winced. Akamaru whined.
"Sorry, Shikamaru." Kiba looked away, feeling dirty and undeserving.
He heard Shikamaru sigh. "Don't feel guilty, idiot. She loves you, you love her—do something about it."
Kiba quirked his eyebrows hopefully, watching Ino collapse in place next to Temari and hide her face in a curtain of ash blonde hair. The Sand kunoichi rubbed her friend's back sympathetically, and Kiba's heart wrung at the thought of Ino crying over him. Whoever made her cry deserved a punch in the gut, he'd always believed that; and though he'd beaten himself up about letting her go, it had always been in ways that hurt more than a physical blow.
"You know, Shikamaru, I think I will."
"Wait a while longer," Neji advised. "I want to talk to Tenten, but it would be unwise to reveal our presence now."
"Why?" Naruto demanded. "I want to see Hinata."
Neji and Shikamaru traded a glance, then looked to Sasuke. "Every one of the girls has performed," the Hyuuga prodigy stated slowly.
"Every one except…" Shikamaru went on, "Sakura."
oOo
Tenten looked Sakura over with sad eyes as Temari and Hinata comforted Ino. The strange, pained determination still lingered in her jade green eyes, which were bright with alcohol instead of their usual good cheer. Tenten knew that even Tsunade, horrendous bettor that she was, could guess what the young sannin was thinking.
"Sakura." The pinkette looked up from her intense study of the table. "Your turn." Her countenance, once so expressive and animated, did not change.
"Okay."
"You get to pick the song." Temari and Hinata's heads whipped up to stare at Tenten—while inside the parameters of the Karaoke Challenge rules, this move was unprecedented. "Just remember the theme and the artist."
A tiny, microscopic, humorless smirk played across Sakura's full mouth. "I know what I want to do." She rose from her chair and crossed over to where Yuuki monitored the soundboard.
Tenten, Temari, Hinata, and Ino watched her ascend the stage, their hearts constricting like twisted towels.
AN: Hope it was good in a big hurry REVIEW PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!! That is all.