A/N: Thank you to those who read through my first chapter, favorited, followed and reviewed. I haven't written in quite a while and I just wanted to try my hand at it again. Working 12 hour shifts on a deployment, one can surprisingly have a lot of downtime to actually write. I have the story mostly plotted out so there should be a steady stream of chapters coming throughout the next 2 ½ months I am out here. Please read and enjoy.

Chapter 2

The flight back home was eventless. Ino had dozed off while watching a movie on the six hour trip and before she knew it she was gazing at signs leading to the exit where her parents would be waiting to pick her up. Her shoulders set into a line as she knew they would ask about her nonexistent job and then look at each other worriedly at hearing her answer. She didn't need their concern…

Waiting patiently at the curb, she turned her cell phone back on and dialed the familiar number. The receiving line rang three times before an excited female voice answered.

"Ino, dear," her mother's voice asked, "where are you?"

"I'm at the Drift Airline pick-up zone, mom," with that Ino began to look around for the familiar black Mercedes.

"Oh, oh I see you! Hi baby!" her mother sounded elated and Ino could feel the headache beginning to creep up the left side of her temple…

It really wasn't that she didn't love her parents…they were just incredibly overbearing and even at some times demeaning. She didn't even believe that they were aware of that fact, but it didn't alleviate the annoyance that she felt when she was around them for long periods of time.

Ino turned her head to the left, looking on with some minimal amount of amusement as her mother waved at her animatedly through the window. The vehicle came to a gradual stop just ahead of her and the trunk popped as the passenger door opened with a flourish. She flung her large duffle and small suitcase into the back and smiled warmly as her mother's arms wrapped around her shoulders.

"Oh Ino! My baby!"

"Mom I would still like to hear when I get back home," she teased and received a light shove.

With her mother at arm's length now she turned to her father who stood a good foot taller than her.

"Hey, daddy," she murmured sweetly. She could see the gentle smile her father gave her before she wrapped her arms around his waist and embraced him.

Her parents were an attractive pair and she herself was a compilation of most of their best physical attributes. She was petite like her mother, no taller than five foot five inches. Her hair was long and platinum blond, reaching down to the small of her back. Her features were soft with an angular chin and round cheeks. Her eyes were also a testament to her mother, being bright, wide and blue. She took after both of her parents in nature as well. She was a doting individual, like her mother, when she cared for someone, but also a hot head like her father. She was also a worry wart like her mother. She was driven and independent like her father, though, and many times she knew that he had wanted otherwise for her. He wanted his daughter to want for nothing and to be spoiled.

Drawing back from her father, she made to get into the vehicle and her parents followed suite. The trip back home was filled with light bickering from her parents that slowly began to increase the intensity of her earlier headache… By the time they arrived she was more than ready to get a little bit of distance between herself and them. She grabbed her luggage and clambered up the stairs hurriedly before shutting the door to her bedroom behind her. Breathing a sigh of relief, she began to unpack her things, hanging up her cocktail dress in the closet half filled with her mother's extra clothes.

It was late in the evening at this point. She called down the stairs to her parents, telling them that she was going to bed and would not be down for dinner.

"Ino, dear," she could hear her mother calling back to her, "it's only seven."

"Jetlag, mom," she explained, "it's ten o'clock back in Konoha."

With a disappointed sound the only acknowledgment she received, Ino turned back to her bedroom for the remainder of the night. Three days here already seemed to be two too many…

The next morning, Ino arose before the sun. Her jet lag still affecting her, she attempted to sleep a little longer. Dozing in an out, she finally gave up around five. It was the morning before the reunion and she cringed at the thought of having to spend time with her family that day. So she decided to meet up with an old friend that she had gotten in contact with just before her trip out there. It was obviously far too early, so she resigned herself to spending the morning with her parents.

Stretching languidly, Ino scratched at her mess of tangled platinum hair before she moved to perform her usual morning ritual. After a warm shower and a good teeth brushing, she wandered downstairs to see her father sipping on a cup of coffee and reading the local paper. She could smell breakfast casserole cooking, and, knowing that her father couldn't boil a pot of water, she assumed that her mother was awake and bustling about in the kitchen.

Her suspicions were confirmed as she rounded the wall separating the living room from the kitchen and heard her mother's delighted voice.

"Good morning Ino, honey!"

"Morning mom, dad," she greeted casually as she began to prepare herself a cup of coffee as well.

"How did you sleep, sweetie?"

Ino shrugged and practically dumped the entire sugar bowl into her cup, "Ok I guess."

Wandering back to the table at the breakfast nook, she took a seat adjacent to her father at the rectangular table. She warmed up her cold hands on the ceramic of her mug before taking a tentative sip of the hot sweetened liquid.

Her and her father sat in companionable silence before her mother placed plates before them filled with breakfast casserole. She eagerly began to devour her food as she hadn't eaten anything during or after her flight. Her mother joined them a moment later with her own minimal helping and began to eat daintily. She was the epitome of the stay at home wife and mother, and, though that suited the older woman just fine, Ino felt that it would never suit herself.

Her father was the bread winner and had always provided for the family and made sure that they didn't want for anything. It was this way of living that she had grown up with and her parents were surprised when she wanted to strike out on her own and go to college. She had dreams of running her own successful business. A small dream it may have been, but it was hers and she wanted nothing more than to accomplish it. At this rate, it seemed like it would remain a dream and nothing more if she couldn't pay off her debt…

She glanced up at her father as he hid behind his newspaper. Her family was well off…but she was far too proud to ask them for money since they had discouraged her from her dreams since the beginning. She did not want to give them the opportunity to tell her they told her so…

Gazing down at her empty plate in deep thought, Ino was surprised when her father finally asked her the question that she had been dreading.

"So how is the flower shop business?" the question itself almost came out as sarcastic, but Ino knew that he didn't mean it. Nevertheless, she stiffened slightly as she set her jaw.

"There is no business yet dad. I'm trying to get some experience and mentorship right now…"

"Trying…?" her mother asked, "Honey how long have you been out of college?"

Ino found herself inadvertently rolling her eyes, "Four months mom."

"And you haven't found anything yet dear?" her expression became concerned.

"No mom," Ino's response was short, not wanting to linger any further on the topic, but her mother obviously didn't get the point.

"Ino, dear, how have you been paying your bills?" this was another question she was loathing to answer.

"I'm managing mom," she lied…

In fact she had not paid her bills for the past two months… She was even surprised that the water and electric hadn't been shut off yet, but there had been phone messages warning of it possibly occurring soon… Part time work around the local area had usually been reserved for the college students, so after her graduation she had been let go. In a show of bravado, she had not attempted to find more part time work, instead expecting to strike proverbial gold in the business market. No such luck yet…

"Do you need help, Ino?" came her father's voice, the paper he held settling to the table so he could give her a stern look.

"No daddy, I'm fine," she lied again and her throat clenched tightly in anxiousness before her pride bolstered her resolve.

That was the end of the conversation for him as he disappeared behind his newspaper once again. Ino set her shoulders, scowling a little at her mother as she made to continue the conversation. With the stern look present on Ino's face, her mother's response died slowly…

Ino sighed sharply as she walked along the sidewalk of her closely integrated neighborhood. She waved amicably at frequent familiar passerbys as she headed over to her best girlfriends parent's house. She was in town herself for the reunion and Ino had set up a girl day with her the day before the party. Coming upon the quaint little two story house, she rang the bell and smiled as her friend answered the door eagerly.

"Ino!" she practically cheered as Ino found herself being grabbed up into a big hug.

"Hey forehead, how have you been lately?" the girl shoved her away roughly and gained a pleased look on her face as Ino nearly fell backward off the front porch steps.

Practically guffawing in mirth at her old nick name for her best friend and the reaction she received, Ino wiped a stray tear away as she took in the appearance of her longtime friend and intellectual rival. Haruna Sakura stood before her, arms folded across her chest as she glared halfheartedly at Ino. Her shoulder length cotton candy pink hair was pulled back into a pony tail with multiple strands escaping the elastic and falling down around her aforementioned forehead and cheeks, framing her soft pale face. Her aqua green eyes regarded Ino silently as she waited for a modicum of an apology. The two girls had much the same stature in height and weight and had once been revered as two of the most beautiful girls in high school.

"Oh come on, Sakura! You know I'm only playing with you…" Ino conceded.

"Sure sure big mouth, you haven't matured at all I see," Sakura tossed back.

Reaching behind herself, she closed the door and began to head down the stairs toward her vehicle. Ino followed on silently, smiling to herself as they made their way to a nail salon in town.

"So what have you been up to since high school?" Ino asked, wanting to steer conversation away from her short comings immediately.

"Oh not much. I just finished medical school and am looking to set up my residency. I've been too busy for much else, you know?" Sakura seemed to deflate as she talked about her grueling education.

Ino thought it commendable that anyone attempt to join a career in medicine, "What kind of medicine are you studying?"

"Pediatrics," Sakura answered humbly.

"Wow kids, huh?" Ino laughed as Sakura smiled over at her friend, "I don't know if I could do it. Kids have always been so overwhelming to me."

"Oh kids are great, it doesn't help that I like to baby people and adults don't take too kindly to that," Sakura scoffed.

"Makes sense," Ino agreed, "so what about a boyfriend?" Ino needled, "Snag yourself a man yet?"

Sakura's cheeks turned a pretty pink as she focused once more on the road. The intersection that the salon was located on had come up and she distracted herself with making the left turn across oncoming traffic. Ino waited patiently, knowing that the answer was going to be interesting if Sakura was stalling this much. Parking at the salon, Sakura exited the vehicle and made to enter the establishment, still dwelling on the answer she was going to give Ino.

After receiving their seats as scheduled, Ino could hardly take the suspense anymore, "Oh come on Sakura! It can't be that bad! Whatever happened to Sasuke?"

Sighing in resignation, Sakura answered cryptically, "There isn't a Sasuke and me anymore."

Ino grew irritated and practically yelled out, "Well then who?"

"Lee!" Sakura supplied, the blush on her cheeks darkening as she relinquished the answer.

Ino's eyes grew wide as she stared at her companion quizzically, "Rock Lee?"

Sakura couldn't look at Ino as she nodded resolutely. Well that was a couple for the ages… Ino remembered Rock Lee as a boisterous goodie goodie who was a grade above them back in high school. He also was odd to look at…She remembered him being tall and lean, with a black haired bowl cut and thick bushy eyebrows. He was into martial arts and was a very physically fit person. He had actually perused Sakura in their high school days, professing his undying love to her on more than one occasion. Said girl had cringed away from him, her rejection based completely off of his physical appearance. Apparently, in later years, physical appearance had not mattered to the pink haired girl.

Ino smiled at her friend, "He was always so dedicated to you. You could tell he loved you with all of his heart, even back then. Do you two live together now?" she asked.

Sakura nodded, examining the finished nails on her left hand. Ino was once again surprised. It wasn't like they weren't old enough to live with the opposite sex, but she hadn't even taken the leap to live with someone once out of high school. It really must be a serious relationship.

"What about you?" Ino looked over to Sakura at the vague question, "Do you have yourself a man?" a devilish look appeared on Sakura's face.

Ino looked at her sternly, shaking her head in the negative. No man had ever lived up to her outrageous expectations. She knew what she wanted in a man down to the way he tied his shoe laces in the morning and she wasn't going to budge in that department.

"Well what about Sai?" Sakura had asked, speaking of her onetime crush.

Ino balked at the remembrance of the emotionless individual. She never understood herself why she had fallen for the likes of him. Shikamaru had shown more emotion than Sai had and he was lazy and thought emotions troublesome. Thinking about the stoic individual, she wondered if he would be at the reunion. Maybe she could accost him for a job of some sort…

As if reading her friend's thoughts, Sakura asked, "Well then what about Shikamaru?"

Ino looked over at her friend with a confused expression as the two of them set up underneath a black light to have their nails dry before getting pedicures.

"What about him?"Ino asked back in a guarded tone.

"Oh I guess I just assumed that with how much you nagged at him back then that you had a thing for him," Sakura answered.

Ino found herself bristling irately at the implication. She absolutely did not have a thing for him! He was annoying and juvenile and lazy and aggravating and immature! He had absolutely no redeeming qualities. It didn't matter that he was now filthy rich and successful…

"What are you talking about?" Ino practically screeched, "I absolutely did not have a thing for him! He is the most lazy, irritating, pain in the butt there is out there."

Sakura chuckled at the vehement rejection of the suggested relationship, "Oh sure I believe that. Amazing how after all of these years you still have the same reaction towards him."

At the allusive remark Ino found herself scowling before she actually analyzed what her friend said. It was true that no other individual man back in high school had ever really even crossed her mind thereafter…but it wasn't like she had been pinning over the stoic genius or anything; she had just happened to see an article about him in a magazine and think that he had done well for himself…that was all…

A/N: I have taken a little liberty with many of the characters, but I have attempted to stay as true to their personalities as possible. I apologize to Sasuke/Sakura pairing lovers, but I personally never really liked him… Please review.