A/N: Good news… I'm ending this fanfiction in this chapter so fret no more XD Before, I was thinking of deleting this story because I lost my enthusiasm in continuing it and I'm suffering from writer's block as well. But since I haven't finished a story (as you can see, all I finish are pure one-shots. Gomen.), I was thinking of ending this one first. This fic is probably cheesy, neh? Sorry, I didn't mean to make the characters a bit OOC. I need to familiarize Neji's character more because I do had a hard time writing him! Thank you so much for all your support and patience for this fanfic. I know I should hit myself for my lack of updates. Again, sorry…
Angel of Mine
By Marshie-chan
Chapter Five: Confessions
'It had already happened twice.' Ino thought that morning. She tightly gripped on the blanket that was covering her naked body and was about to get off from the bed when she felt a heavy weight around her stomach. She looked over her shoulder and saw Neji who was still sleeping peacefully with his arm wrapped around her body. It was as if he was afraid of the possibility that she might ran away.
Two days have passed ever since she decided to stay with Neji in this island. Even though she had almost admit to herself that she's in love with the Hyuuga and even though they had made love twice, Ino still found herself being attacked by guilt feelings and she didn't know what's the right thing to do.
She was torn between her commitment with Shikamaru and the growing love she felt for Neji. Because of this, despite of the good and pleasurable moments she had shared with the Hyuuga in this island, she still suffered a lot of sleepless nights thinking about her fiancé.
The blonde girl sighed in disappointment.
"What's wrong?"
Her eyes widened at the sudden voice. She tilted her head behind only to meet the worried eyes of the Hyuuga.
She answered in a shaky voice, "N-nothing… I'm just—"
"Do you love me now?" He cuts off. She felt his warm lips brushed against her neck.
Ino wasn't able to answer right away. "I… I guess I'm still sleepy." She said instead to avoid the question.
"Why don't you answer me?" He stared straight into her eyes, "You missed him, right?"
Ino saw his eyes being clouded by jealousy again. "Are you referring to Shikamaru, Neji?" However, the latter didn't reply. Instead, he stood up from the bed and didn't even bother to put some clothes on. She closed her eyes to avoid seeing his nakedness. Even though things had already happened between them, she still felt that tinge of humiliation towards him… and to herself as well.
"We're going home."
What he said surprised her a lot. She pulled herself up from the bed but still covered herself with the blanket. "What?! B-but…I thought we're—"
Neji walked towards the window and looked at the view outside. "You were right. I shouldn't have forced you." He glanced at her and smiled bitterly, "I'm not a cold person, Ino. I have feelings too. Did you know that it hurts for me to see you being worried all this time? Every time we made love, I'm fully aware that your thoughts are still with your fiancé. That's why… today…" He turned his gaze back to the view at the window, "I'm setting you free. I'm going to take you back to him."
'Neji…' Tears brimmed in her eyes. She can't help it anymore. Her feelings are rushing up again. If she doesn't follow her heart right at this moment, she might go crazy. The blonde girl hurriedly walked towards him and hugged him from the back.
His eyes widened when he felt her arms being locked around his body. "I-Ino?"
"I'm so sorry, Neji! I wasn't strong enough to face my own feelings!" She confessed with tears running down her face, "The truth is…I… I also love you! I loved you for a long time! And… I'm sure of my feelings now! T-that's why… that's why…"
Neji took her arms off him but didn't let them go. He confronted her and wiped the tears that were crawling down on her face with his hand. "Sshh…don't cry… I'd hate myself if I made you cry."
"T-that's why…" She tried to mutter in between sobs. But she just cried even more.
"It's all right, Ino." He gently caressed her back and led her back to the bed. They both sat at the edge of it.
"…I'm going to break up with Shikamaru." She continued, "I know he'll hate me for this b-but… I just… I just want to be honest to myself and… to you."
He was surprised to hear this but tried not to show it, "Are you sure about this?"
"I've never been so sure in my entire life," Ino answered honestly, "I'm sorry for hurting you, Neji, but believe me, I tried to force myself to hate you but I can't do it… because… I still love you. I'm just confused with my own feelings. It was like... it was already programmed in my mind that Shikamaru is the right guy for me to love and to marry. But when you came back to my life, my feelings got tangled up. I thought that before… what I felt for you is just a simple crush and…" She met his eyes, "You were so arrogant that time…" When she saw him smiling so widely, she irritably pinched him on the stomach. "Wait…how about you… when did you ever learn that you love me?"
"When I first saw you but I didn't recognize it right away," He glided his hand through his hair, "You see, I thought you were just like other girls who would throw themselves to men with an eye for their good looks and money. When I find myself falling for a girl like you… I started to hate myself," He held her hand, "But believe me Ino, when I started to get to know everything about you… especially your attitude towards your friends and comrades; and your strength and loyalty as a ninja, my feelings for you got stronger. Aside from that I…" He met her eyes, "I'm not good in expressing my feelings through words but…"
Her cheeks warmed when she noticed the intensity of his stare, "What?"
"You're very beautiful. Your hair, your eyes, nose, lips, everything about you is beautiful… do you know that?"
She laughed, "So I was right…my charm back at the forest of death did work." She sat on his lap, "I was impressed. You were good at hiding your feelings that time."
"Took you this long enough to find out?" Their eyes met and his hungry lips met hers. They made love once again.
Neji and Ino stayed for another day in the island before they decided to return to Konoha with Tenten and Lee. Both of Neji's teammates were overwhelmed to find out that they were going steady and were both going back to Konoha to face the problems that awaits them there. Ino was even more surprised to discover that Lee and Tenten had just started dating. Maybe it's because they have developed those feelings when they were away.
'Ah, the miracle of love.' Ino thought while holding hands with Neji. Ever since yesterday, the two of them were inseparable.
When they arrived at Konoha that morning, Neji said he was going to talk to the former head of the Hyuuga house first—Hyuuga Hiashi while she settle her own matters with Shikamaru.
"Um… Neji—" The blonde girl called out as she gently held his elbow.
Neji looked back and saw the worried look in her face. He inched towards her and kissed her on the forehead, "Don't worry… you'll be fine."
The blonde girl nodded her head upon hearing his warm reassurance. The couple parted ways and Ino immediately went straight to Shikamaru's house.
Ino gathered all the strength she could to knock at the door. 'This is it. I shouldn't be nervous.' She thought. 'If I don't have the courage to break up with him, I will just end up being unfair to myself, to Shikamaru and… to Neji.'
After three consecutive knocks, a woman opened the door who happens to be Shikamaru's mother. She was wearing an apron and she was carrying a skillet. It was obvious that she was cooking something. "Good morning, Mrs. Nara." She greeted warmly. "Sorry to disturb you."
"Oh it's you, Ino!" Mrs. Nara muttered in surprise upon seeing her future daughter-in-law, "When did you come back? Come in!"
"Uh… no, I won't be here for long. I'm just looking for Shikamaru," She replied as she tried to peek inside the house, "Is he around?"
"Shikamaru?" The woman was suddenly in deep thought and then remembered something, "Ah yes! I just remembered. My son was called yesterday for a mission at the Suna village." She sighed, "Sorry I didn't inform you earlier. Being old makes you forgetful, you know."
Her eyes widened, "What kind of mission is it?" If she will be able to know what mission rank is it, she could at least estimate the time when Shikamaru will be able to return.
The woman shook her head, "I didn't know. That's the only information he said before leaving the village."
Ino just nodded her head, "It's okay, Mrs. Nara. Thank you so much for informing me." Having no choice, she proceeded to go towards the Hyuuga house. 'That means… I still have to wait for Shikamaru to come back. I have to tell Neji about this.'
When she arrived at the home of the Hyuuga's main family, she reluctantly entered the house. She wasn't sure if she was authorized to enter the sacred grounds of the Hyuuga but seeing that no one's around that time, she went straight to the corridors to search for Neji.
"What?! Do you realize what you've done? You have shamed the name of the Hyuuga!" A voice thundered.
Ino's eyes widened upon hearing the elderly voice. She walked towards the direction of it and it led her to the main room of the house. Curiously, she peeked in the slightly opened door only to see Hyuuga Hiashi and Neji inside. She gasped in shock when realization struck her. 'Neji… he came here to profess everything to the Head.' She remained where she was hiding and listened more attentively.
"Why in the world did you fall for a woman who was already engaged?" Hiashi gritted his teeth in anger. He was obviously furious. Neji just remained sitting there, unmoved by his words. "And that… that childish Hokage! He was stupid enough to get along with your plans!"
Neji looked up and replied firmly, "I love her, Hyuuga-sama. And she's the woman I'm going to marry."
"Curses!" Hiashi cursed and glared at the younger Hyuuga. "Mark my words, Hyuuga Neji! This family will abandon you once you tied up with that woman!"
Ino felt like all the blood in her body had frozen. It was clear to her that Hiashi doesn't like her for Neji—all for the fact that the whole Konoha population knew she was engaged. It would definitely humiliate the Hyuugas' for Neji to do something that would dirty the clan's reputation.
"I don't care." Neji declared, "I will marry Ino, no one can stop me." The younger Hyuuga stood up and was about to head towards the door when Hiashi suddenly said something.
"Oh yes, there is something that will definitely stop you," Neji looked back at the older Hyuuga and narrowed his eyes towards him, "I will reveal everything that you have done to the Konoha elders… including the fake mission you and that Hokage had invented just to lure that woman. This will result for Naruto-sama to lose his job, your teammates and yours as well. You don't want that to happen, correct?"
It took a long while for Neji to reply and it was enough for Ino to think that he wouldn't be willing to give up his and his friends' Ninja status for the sake of their own happiness. Even thinking about Naruto, who have tried so hard to reach his ambition to be the Hokage, will suddenly lose his job is certainly unacceptable for her conscience.
The Yamanaka didn't wait for his answer. She felt the hot tears that brimmed in her blue eyes as she walked out of that house. Hurriedly, she ran towards the gate of Konoha. Two Jounins who were guarding the gate tried to stop her. But because of her raged emotions that time, she managed to beat the ninjas unconscious.
Now that she successfully went out of the village, she had decided to head towards the direction of the Suna village.
When Ino arrived at Suna that afternoon, she hurriedly made her way to the Kazekage's office in search for her fiancé. She had to see Shikamaru, confess everything to him, and then ask for forgiveness. How she wished that despite of all, the Nara would still accept her and continue their plans for marriage.
Ino was even amazed to see Kankuro's surprised look when he saw her. "Have you seen Shikamaru? I've heard he went here for a mission." She asked the Kazekage's older brother.
Kankuro's face paled. It was obvious that he had gotten nervous. "Well… um… he's—" The Yamanaka suddenly became suspicious towards his actions so she hurriedly entered the Kazekage's office only to get shocked by what she saw.
Shikamaru was hugging another woman and they were kissing. Both of them got startled to see her and immediately stopped whatever they were doing. She knew the woman—her fellow kunoichi, Temari. She heard rumors about Shikamaru and her having an affair before but those just remained rumors. She didn't expect to see that it was really true.
"I-Ino!" Shikamaru immediately let the woman go and muttered desperately, "I… I can explain!"
She raised a hand to stop him and spoke instead, "I came here to try and explain everything about what happened while I was away but…" She calmly said as she tried to hold the urge to cry, "Both of us were just playing these games behind our backs, right Shikamaru?"
When Shikamaru's genius mind figured out what she meant by her words, his eyes widened, "Ino, you—"
"That's right." She cut him off, "I have also sinned against you. I'm even glad that all these things happened before it's too late." She met his eyes and started to reveal the truth. "I was set up into a fake mission just for Neji to convince me not to marry you. We were together in an island for five days and a lot of things happened between me and him." She secretly smiled when she recalled the moments the Hyuuga and her have shared in that island, "But in those days, there isn't any second that you're not in my mind Shikamaru… it was probably because of my commitment to you. I felt guilty but no matter how much I fight, my own feelings had won me over and I even have the thought of breaking up with you." She looked away bitterly when she remembered what happened back at the Hyuuga house, "When I found out earlier that Neji and I are not meant to be together, I immediately find ways to come here to apologize and make up with you but…" The blonde girl couldn't hold it any longer. The tears that she tried to stop burst out of her eyes. Not because she felt betrayed with Shikamaru and another woman but because of the thought that she and Neji will never acquire the happiness that both of them had desired.
Shikamaru lowered his head in guilt, "Forgive me, Ino. I wish you wouldn't think that I just used you. It's true that I have loved you but I think we're really not meant to be." Ino looked up and listened to her fiancé, "I came to Suna to find myself. I already know before that you were just forcing yourself to love me. But I still believe that one day… you will eventually learn to accept me in your heart." His gaze shifted towards the Sand kunoichi, "I thought that I would easily forget about Temari after we broke up. The week after our engagement, she came to Konoha and we talked. My feelings got confused. I love you but until now, I realized that Temari still occupied a bigger space in my heart." He walked towards her and wiped the tears off her face. "That's why… I have decided to get out of Konoha to find myself. And I'm glad, deep down, that you were also strong enough to realize your real feelings, Ino."
"T-Thanks for understanding," Ino smiled bitterly, "Did you know that I felt so guilty because I thought I have betrayed you? I have suffered a lot of sleepless nights because my conscience kept on bothering me. But now, I'm glad that this is over." Both of them eventually hugged each other.
When she was able to relieve her feelings, they talked about the things to do once the people in Konoha knew that their marriage was off. The original plan of the couple was to get married in Suna because they don't want her to come out pitiful. Also, it wasn't a good publicity for both Shikamaru and her who were about to get promoted to a higher ninja rank.
She was the one who suggested the made-up reason why they broke up—that both of them were not compatible. After one month, they would announce Shikamaru and Temari's upcoming wedding. The couple agreed then.
When they finished their conversation, Ino had decided to go home. Shikamaru offered to take her home but she refused. She was aware that the Nara still had to take care of a few things in Suna before going home.
The Yamanaka even declined the Kazekage's order to bring some of their ninjas with her. After reassuring them that she's capable of protecting herself, she immediately went straight home.
While Ino was on her way back to Konoha, she didn't expect that it was already evening and she's still kilometers away from home. She fastened her pace as she vaulted from tree to tree.
Minutes later, a shadow below her caught her eye. It was as if someone or something is stalking her, following her every movement. Ino stopped for awhile and jumped down to the ground. She pulled a kunai from her pocket and moved into a fighting pose. She looked around in search for the shadow. But it was already nowhere in sight. Before she could proceed to walk back home, something enormous appeared before her very eyes. She looked up and saw a huge hungry beast that looked like it was ready to devour her.
"Shoot!" Ino cursed. It was five feet higher than she is and it had fangs and claws. The blonde girl never encountered a more dangerous-looking monster as this one.
The creature immediately attacked her but she quickly avoided it. She charged the monster with shurikens and successfully deflected all of its attacks. However, the beast was persistent. No matter how many times the creature would get hit by the shurikens, it would quickly make its counter-attack. Having no choice, Ino had decided to use a ninjutsu technique. She hid behind the tree and was about to form a seal in her hands when she noticed that the monster had disappeared again.
Ino came out of the hiding place and failed to notice that the creature was already standing behind her. Her eyes widened to notice it and she immediately jumped but failed to dodge the creature's claws. It scratched her right leg. She bit her lip in pain when she saw that blood that was beginning to flow from the wound. The blonde girl didn't expect that the impact of the wound would affect her leg deeply. It was suddenly paralyzed that she sat helplessly on the ground. "What kind of creature is this?!" She muttered in fear. 'Am… am I going to die here?' She closed her eyes when she saw that the monster was now running towards her direction.
'Neji…' The handsome face of the Hyuuga suddenly appeared in her mind.
And the next thing Ino heard is the cry of the monster like it was being slaughtered. She opened her eyes back and saw the dead body of the creature that was lying in front of her. A ninja from apparently nowhere suddenly appeared in front of her. It was already dark so she only recognized that the person was wearing an ANBU uniform. He was obviously a ninja from Konoha.
"I didn't know the reason why you suddenly left Konoha without the Hokage's permission," The voice was obviously deepened in purpose. Well, ANBU ninjas needed to change their voices as well to protect their identities. "Did you know you were marked as a Missing-nin?"
She looked up at the masked ninja, annoyed. "Well, nobody asked you to save me!"
"Great," The person bended down and removed his mask, "You're still as stubborn as usual."
Her heart skipped when she saw the familiar face. "N-Neji...?"
Neji smiled warmly and fixed his gaze towards her, "Nice to see you too." He wrapped a cloth around her injured leg, "Are you all right?"
Because of so much happiness to see him, she was about to hug him but stopped herself. How easily she could forget just because he just saved her life! "I broke up with Shikamaru but…" She looked away to avoid meeting his eyes. " I'm sorry Neji, I think we should break up as well. We're not meant to be together."
The Hyuuga's face paled upon hearing this, "I thought you left Konoha just to confess everything about us to your fiancé and now… you're breaking up with me? I don't understand. Did you forget about the deal?" He was suddenly angry, "If I win you heart in five days, you have to marry me."
"Forget about the deal!" She snapped, "I'm sorry but I heard everything that you and Hiashi-sama had talked back in the Hyuuga house. It was clear that he doesn't want to accept me in your family and that he even threatened that our friends' positions and yours are going to be removed once you decide to marry me."
Tears immediately crawled down in Ino's eyes. She wanted to turn her back on him to hide her feelings from him but she can't move her legs. Maybe it's still the result of being paralyzed by the monster's claws.
"And then you just left and didn't even bother to listen to what I said next?"
"Do I have to listen to it, Neji? For what? So it would just hurt my feelings more?" She blubbered through tears, "Just think about the people we're going to sacrifice for the sake of our happiness. It's not right for us to be together. We should be more practical."
He shook his head, "If only you've waited for a minute, you should've heard my answer."
"Whatever you have answered, it doesn't matter anymore." She wiped the tears off her face and spoke coldly, "I'm not marrying you."
"So you're going to run away from me again, huh?" He grabbed both of her shoulders and with all eagerness, he kissed him so hungrily. It's as if her breathing stopped when their lips parted. He locked her arms around her and whispered, "I missed you. Please don't run away again."
"I am not running away because I don't love you. I just wanted to protect you and our friends so you will not lose the important things you have in your lives now. Don't you understand, Neji? If you sacrificed me, I could have accept it." She cried again. It was hard for her heart to take it but just like what she said, she's ready to sacrifice.
Neji gently wiped the tears off her face and muttered, "What nonsense are you talking about? I couldn't sacrifice you. I'm ready to leave everything just for you."
She didn't reply. Instead, she just buried her face to Neji's strong chest and cried there freely.
"I've fought for you against Hiashi-sama. In the end, he understood everything about us."
"I don't want to believe you," She muttered in bitterness.
"Ino… isn't it enough evidence that I was assigned by Naruto-sama for a mission to search for you?" He smirked, "Even so, that guy was too stubborn to be kicked out of his position so it wasn't possible for Hiashi-sama and the town to disown him… right at the very beginning."
She was almost convinced but she still wanted to make sure, "I still don't believe you. What if you just turned out to be another Missing-nin like me?"
"You asked for it, Ino." He immediately raised a hand and made a signal. Ino's eyes widened to see a group of ANBU ninjas who jumped from the trees and gathered around them. "If you still don't believe me, you're not making any sense."
"Ah! H-how long are these guys hiding here?" She gulped nervously as she tried hard to distance herself away from the Hyuuga. She felt her cheeks reddening because of embarrassment. 'Did they saw that Neji and I just—'
Neji laughed slightly upon seeing the blush in her face and pulled her closer to him, "That's more like you. The Yamanaka Ino that I knew is not a crybaby." Ino immediately moved her arms away from her just as he was about to hug her. She pouted like a little kid because of the remark. The Hyuuga smiled, "That was only a joke." Then he whispered teasingly in her ear, "I missed the things we did in the island."
Ino laughed even though there were tears in her eyes. Without warning, she kissed him in the lips.
Desires were immediately reflected in Neji's eyes when he stared at her face. "Do that again and I'll forget that they're still here." He said referring to the ANBU ninjas who was still standing around, watching them.
"You little devil!"
When they were on their way home, Neji carried Ino in his arms and held her. She discovered that the monster's effect on her leg is not too fatal. Still, the Hyuuga held on to her so tightly like he was never going to let her go.
And guess what? He never did.
When I first saw you I already knew
There was something inside of you
Something I thought that I would never find
Angel of mine
I look at you, looking at me
Now I know why they say the best things are free
I'm gonna love you boy you are so fine
Angel of Mine
How you changed my world you'll never know
I'm different now, you helped me grow
You came into my life sent from above
When I lost all hope you showed me love
I'm checking for you boy you're right on time
Angel of Mine
Nothing means more to me than what we share
No one in this whole world can ever compare
Last night the way you moved is still on my mind
Angel of Mine
What you mean to me you'll never know
Deep inside I need to show
You came into my life sent from above
When I lost all hope, you showed me love
I'm checking for you, boy you're right on time
Angel of Mine
I never knew I could feel each moment
As if it were new,
Every breath that I take, the love that we make
I only share it with you
When I first saw you I already knew
There was something inside of you
Something I thought that I would never find
Angel of Mine
You came into my life sent from above
When I lost all hope you showed me love
I'm checking for you, boy you're right on time
Angel of Mine
How you changed my world you'll never know
I'm different now, you helped me grow
I look at you looking at me
Now I know why they say the best things are free
I'm checking for you, boy you're right on time
Angel of Mine
-Angel of Mine by Monica
-FIN-
Final Words from the Author: Yeah, I'm not good with endings. As you can see, it's my first time ending a story so I'm still newbie when it comes to it. Thanks for reading this story and for the lovely reviews, dear readers! I don't have a love life but I'm always dying to write a romantic drama fic so you might find some of the lines in this story cheesy XD (It only existed in my imagination, I didn't experience it, okay?) I hope lovewitches also get to read this since the story is dedicated to her.
I'm not a major fan of NejiIno. My OTP is NejiHina and ShikaIno. Believe me… I almost hit myself when I let ShikaTema happen here. I hate that pairing! Anyway, NejiIno always sparks my interests when it comes to fanfictions. Plus, Ino is my top favorite female character while Neji is my top favorite male character in Naruto so I came up with the crazy idea of pairing them up.
And don't forget your review on the whole story! No critics… onegai. I don't have a beta-reader and I wasn't planning to get one since my heart can't take criticisms. (Except for DesertRoseTemari of course! She had been patient with my English and she's beta-reading my other fic!) English is my third language and I'm still starting to learn it by writing fanfictions. Imagine yourself learning a foreign language and you will really find it difficult.
To the next story then! Ja'ne!
-Marshie-chan