Couple of years had passed. Three damn years had passed. For me, it was the slowest three years of my colorful life – all I did was study, shop, and travel. That's about it for those years. I even had gotten my bachelor's degree on Business Management a couple months ago. Things had changed for me, everything was a little better – even me, was better.
Then, there was Japan. A place I never wanted to go near at for the past three years. But today, I had to be in that place for a big convention. I had to come as a replacement for my father because he had a more important thing to attend at somewhere in the USA. He didn't want any of his business partner to be part of the convention in Japan, he wanted the most precious person to him to take his place. And that was me.
I couldn't believe how Japan didn't really change a lot. I hated to say this but I'd always thought Japan was a beautiful place with good people – but it was the situation that made me not want to be in this place. And that situation was Sasuke.
"Neji!" I ran toward him and hugged him. In those years, Neji also became a little bit consistent in my life. He was just there – he even visited me a couple of times in Monaco. He would call at least once a week to check on me – I couldn't possibly wish for more. "Ohmigod, good Lord! I so missed you!"
He just smiled at me. It was amazing how big of an ass he was to others but me. He also was a social outcast, he was just like me – could never really trust others. Maybe that's what we had in common that brought us together. "You actually came."
I pulled from the hug. "Amazing, right? I had to think about this many times."
"You'll probably see him in the convention gathering tomorrow."
I nodded, I knew that. That convention consisted of the biggest names in the Asian and European business industries. And the Uchiha's had always been one of, if not the most, powerful families in East Asia.
"I know for sure that he'll be there," I told him. Truth was, I accepted this just so I could rub it in Sasuke's face that I'd become a much better person. That I'd grown up. That I was not a burden anymore. "Watch, I'll make him see that I am different now."
–
"This is so damn boring," I whispered to Neji. It was 8:00PM when we got here and it had been exactly fifteen minutes since then and I was already dying of boredom. The only time I wasn't bored here was when I was reading my horoscope, which said, There's an older person in your life -- not necessarily a relative -- with some valuable advice to dispense. Are you listening? Before you dismiss them, put aside any biases you might have and really listen to what they're trying to tell you. Their honesty and perspective should astonish you, but it may also have a direct impact on your immediate future. Learn to accept help and advice in whatever forms they manifest.
"We've been just sitting here and everyone is talking to other people."
"Stop complaining," he said to me, quite annoyed that I had been bothering him. "Talk to other people if you want."
It seemed that Neji wasn't in the mood to put up with me. I couldn't blame him – I was actually quite a little thankful that he really accompanied me because he hated things like gatherings or assemblies – that's one of the things that I adored about him.
Not faraway from where were we sitting at, I could see Neji's uncle – I forgot his name – but he was wearing a traditional Japanese clothing and he was talking to people. Neji was never really fond of his uncle because I found out that he was the reason why Neji's dad got into a terrible plane crash – his uncle's enemy thought his dad was Neji's uncle that's why they thought it'd be funny to put bombs on the plane that he was boarding. Needless to say, the plane exploded with his dad on it.
"Ino," I looked at Neji when he called me. "Uchiha is at the corner, to your left."
I looked at my left but could not see him, "Where?"
"He's next to the girls with pink and reddish pink hair."
I couldn't believe I didn't notice that at first glance, how could I have missed him if he were standing next to the people who had very colorful hair. "That's so him."
Neji raised his eyebrow, "What do you plan now?"
"Do you think he's seen me yet?"
"No," was his reply. "If he had, he would have confronted you already."
I stood up from my seat, "Watch and learn Neji."
I didn't walk up to Sasuke directly, I wouldn't want to make it look like that I approached him first because that would make me look cheap. Instead, I walked up to one of the random men standing a decent distance away from him.
"Ciao," I greeted the Italian man, who was probably in his 60s. "Stai divertendo?"
"Sì," he answered me, smiling sweetly. "Questo partito sta andando bene finora."
"Grande sapere," I smiled at him, I stole a little glance at Sasuke – it seemed that he hadn't noticed me yet. He was just drinking his whiskey quietly as those two whores were trying to talk to him. "Qual è il tuo nome, signore?"
"Amedeo Giovanni," he said, as he took my hand and kissed it. "E qual è il vostro nome, bella signorina?"
"Ino Yamanaka," I said loudly, and bingo; Sasuke heard it. My little plan went well, I caught a glimpse of him looking at me. Stunned, was the best word to describe him when he saw me. "Piacere conoscerla."
When Sasuke finally got his shit together and recovered from the shock, I saw him walking to my direction. I looked at the Italian man, "Ci vediamo in giro."
I quickly half-ran to the exit door and I knew he was following me. When we were outside, I decided to take a turn to look at him. "So, how's it going, Mr. Uchiha?"
"You...you're back," he looked at me from head to toe.
"Damn straight," I gave him a smirk. Oops, it looked like he still really hadn't gotten over the fact that I was standing in front of him now. "I flew back yesterday."
"From Monaco?"
I was quite amazed on how he knew where I stayed for three years. And I was also annoyed on why in heck did he never visit (or find) me when he damn knew where I was. "Right. So, my take is that you're life was way easier in the last three years?"
He decided to be silent.
"Silence doesn't always mean yes, now does it?"
"No."
"No?" I raised my right eyebrow. "Do you mean 'no, silence doesn't always mean yes' or 'no, my life wasn't easier in the last three years?'"
"Things had changed when you left!" he quite yelled, looking at my eyes. "Everything became...it all became...different."
"Oh, really?" I looked right back at him with the same equal intensity. "Well, you weren't the only one who had changes, my life had 'em too."
Enough said, I walked straight pass him and decided to go back inside. I didn't want Neji to worry about me neither did I want to be alone with Sasuke any longer.
When I got inside, I went to where Neji was and asked him to take me home now. He wasn't having fun anyway, so we might as well go home.
–
"Aren't you going to ask me how it went with Sasuke?" I questioned Neji, who was driving. I wanted to drive but he didn't want me to because he said after meeting up with Sasuke, he thought I wouldn't be too okay.
"It's none of my business, really," he said almost coldly and irritatingly. What the hell was up with this guy?
"Geez, are you on your period, Neji?"
Neji started calming down, "If you'd want to say what happened, then I'd gladly listen. If not, I'd just shut up and stay by you – like I always did for the last three years."
"I left before things started heating up," I assumed that he wanted to know - it felt that he did anyway. "He said things changed, and I want to know what are these things that changed."
He didn't say anything. He was just always like this, a great listener. Even if I was just bitching and whining and complaining, Neji would always be there to stay beside me.
"He said he knew that I was in Monaco," I continued. "Did you tell him where I was?"
"I didn't," he wasn't looking at me, instead he was looking on the road. "Although, he might have had hired some people to spy on me and your father."
"Do you think he ever liked me?" I asked Neji, wishing he would say yes. I knew Sasuke cared about me but I was never certain if he ever had feelings for me.
Neji didn't answer but he pulled over on the side of the road. And then he looked at me, "Why does it still matter?"
I was shocked to see Neji's reaction. He surely wasn't happy about this, his face said it all. And I hated seeing him unhappy – after all, Neji made me happy by staying on my side for the last three years. "Neji, did I do something wrong?"
"It's not you, it's me," he said, obviously annoyed with something. "I'm sorry, Ino, I'm just tired."
But I knew him better than that so I had to ask, "You don't want me talking about Sasuke, do you?"
"I...It's..." he was looking for the right words to say. "You're right, I don't."
"And that's because?"
"I didn't like it when I saw how affected you were after you confronted him," he told me honestly. "Ino, you had more than three years to get over him!"
"Neji, why are you being like this?" I asked. Neji might be moody but this was the first time that he was being like this to me. He was almost shouting at me that I got little scared. "Is there a problem?"
"You are the problem!" he answered me, not toning down his voice. "Ino, I thought you changed! Truth is, you didn't! You are still into that fucking guy!"
I gulped. He wasn't kidding, he was actually angry. I looked at his eyes, "I probably didn't change after all." The tears in my eyes couldn't help but fall – I was crying, not because of Neji but because I realized that he might be right. I probably had not changed and I felt like a loser that wasted three years.
He unbuckled his seat-belt and leaned toward me to give me a hug. I hugged him back and whispered, "I'm an idiot who wasted years of my life trying to change myself, and in the end I still failed. I know this is asking way too much but Neji, please never give up on me and please never get tired of me – you're the only friend that I have."
"I didn't get tired of you then, I don't see myself getting tired of you now."
My horoscope was probably talking about Neji.
