Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto, or any of the characters affiliated with it, and this is merely a fan-based piece of work.

A/N: Just saying, this chapter made me close to tears. ;n; Geez, I must be so emotional...ha ha... But seriously, when my own stuff drives me close to tears... ~ That's pretty rare... _ I hope you like it...this is the second chapter I've written in a day...~ And I really love the last part...w Reviews are accepted gratefully, as always. 3

Theme song for this chapter - "All The Things She Said," by t.A.T.u

Chapter 2 – A Sad Day

Present day, Konoha

Above the Yamanako Flower Shop, clouds rumbled menacingly. A rough gust of wind blew the sign of the shop as it rattled, and the skies unleashed their heavy rain in torrents, soaking anything and everything in their path. Anyone foolish enough to get caught in this weather would be soaked to the bone, Ino thought to herself as she sat at on the stool behind the counter, tracing a grain in the wood with a finger, letting out a bored sigh. She felt restless. Now that it was raining heavily, no-one would come to order flowers. It just seemed like the weather wasn't going to work in her favour today. Getting off her stool, she walked over to the sign on the door which read CLOSED, and was about to shut it, before she saw someone walk out of the rain, completely covered in black clothing. The funeral... Ino bowed her head in respect as she waited by the door. With each step the person took, her heart thumped. She quickly dashed behind to the room to fetch the flowers and returned, just as the figure stopped at the door. The flowers were white, bunched neatly in her hands, covered in cellophane. To her surprise, Ino saw Hinata standing at the door. Hinata?

She opened the door for Hinata and bit her lip, bowing again. Hinata bowed in return, and she looked sad and solemn. Ino knew that this was a funeral for one of the members of the Hyuuga clan who had died on a mission. He was very young, only a few years older than Hinata and Ino both, and he didn't deserve to die. Ino's face fell as she stared at her feet. No-one deserves to die. No shinobi, even if we aren't allowed to cry, to express emotions. No-one deserves to go through that. "I have the flowers for you, Hinata-chan," she said quietly, looking into Hinata's lilac eyes, as they swam with remorse. "If you carry them in this rain...they'll...get wet..." Ino tripped on her words, stumbling through her sentence. Hinata hadn't already her silence was affecting the usually cheerful and bright young woman.

The shy girl nodded and took them from Ino, staring into the flowers, her mind far away. Part of her didn't want to go to the funeral. It hurt her to even think about it. She had known him. They weren't close, but she had seen him around. She had heard of his smile, and the way he cared for others despite the Hyuuga's stoic nature. Even Neji spoke highly of him. He too was attending this funeral. Even villagers who weren't of the Hyuuga clan were attending. "Thank you, Ino-chan," Hinata whispered wistfully, her face pale and her hands trembling.

Ino faltered, and pursed her lips. I have to do something...I have to comfort her...but...how? She knew that words wouldn't help anything...wouldn't change anything. It was already set in stone. She wanted Hinata to feel at ease. She had known her for so long, and had seen how the shy girl dealt with her problems. Alone. Ino didn't want her to keep all of her emotions inside where they would bubble over and hurt her later. She wanted them to spill out. But Hinata was keeping them in. A shinobi had to. Even when Asuma had died, Ino had let herself cry. Shinobi weren't supposed to cry. They weren't allowed to. But Ino did. There was no other way she could express herself. Ino did what she thought might help. She hugged her.

Hinata widened her eyes as the flowers lightly slipped from her grip. Surprised, she let out a gasp and stumbled, as Ino's arms wrapped around her so tightly she could barely breathe. The two girls were like this for a while, as time seemed to stand still. Ino felt her heart beat painfully, thud in her ears as she tightened her grip on the shy girl, letting out a choked sob. "Please, Hinata...I...I don't want you to suffer anymore...I...I want to go with you to the funeral...anything...I'll do anything to see you not suffer..." she begged, her voice raspy as she choked on her words, bitter tears filling her eyes.

"Ino...chan..." Hinata whispered slowly, shocked to the core. The flowers fell. They hit the ground lightly, petals landing on the polished floor, white contrasting against the grey.

Ino put an arm around her neck to breathe in the scent of her hair softly, shaking against her form. Pulling away, she wiped her eyes to rid herself of the tears and gave Hinata a watery smile, picking up the flowers. "S-Sorry...I...I'll fix these up right...right away," she stammered, before running into the room, holding herself with her hands wrapped around her body. She scrunched her eyes shut, willing herself not to cry any longer. She couldn't cry around Hinata. She was strong! But Ino couldn't stop the tears from falling. They welled in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks as she gripped the bench so tightly that her knuckles went white. No! I...I can't cry! I...won't let myself cry... S-stop crying, Ino...stop crying! S-stop it! Rubbing her palms furiously into her eyes to still the tears, she sniffed and shook, slowly turning around as she prepared a new batch of flowers, returning to Hinata. Hinata hadn't seemed to look away from the doorway where Ino had disappeared into to retrieve the flowers. Her gaze was blank, and she let out small breaths.

"Hinata...I brought you the flowers...I...hope you like them..." she said softly, laughing weakly. "I had to replace the others since they...fell on the ground-" Ino stumbled as Hinata ran into her arms and hugged her, biting her lip, trying not to cry herself. Ino had done all of this for her. She had prepared the flowers beforehand...and had hugged her...told her she didn't want her to suffer. Ino cared... She could feel the tears gather in her eyes as she shook her head.

"I-Ino-chan...I...can't thank you enough...for being here for me through this time... I truly thought I was alone...even though Neji nii-san will be there with me too...I...I'm still suffering...but...you've helped me...in your own way..." Hinata's words were soft and honey-like against Ino's ears as Ino felt herself threatening to cry again. Damnit...she wished these emotions would just stop. They were making her feel tired, and even more restless than she was already feeling. This was a sad day. And it felt like it was getting even sadder. "So p-please...I want you to come with me to the funeral...to support me...is that too much to ask?"

Hinata looked at Ino with those big, lilac eyes of hers, and Ino felt her heart thud painfully.

"No," she said hoarsely, pulling away slightly. "I'll be there for you. Just let me get an umbrella so we can share it first."

"O-okay." Hinata waited while Ino retrieved a bright yellow umbrella, opened the door of the Yamanaka Flower Shop and locked it with a key, turning the sign over so people knew it was closed, even though no-one would come in this weather. "Ino...chan..." As Ino spread the umbrella out wide and it popped open, Hinata slipped her hand in Ino's and squeezed it tightly.

Ino squeezed her hand back, looking up at the dark, forlorn sky. Best friends were supposed to be there for one another. Even if they could hardly voice their true feelings to each other.