Rivals, Friends and Lovers (part 13 of 13)
Back to Part 12
AN: Here is the final chapter for this story. Prepare yourself for a lot to read. Finally I reached 100 reviews :) I thank you all for the support. Man I have been so busy but I managed to slowly but steadily finish the chapter. Even if you like or dislike the chapter, I don’t care for as far as I concern I am finally done with this story. I seriously needed to get it off my back and move on. Anyway let’s get this over with.
Bold text is when quoting a sentence from a previous chapter
Italic text is when a character is thinking
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Awakening
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The first day of a new week had begun. The fresh and grassy scent from the forest could no longer be felt. The chirping sounds from singing birds and the cool wind sweeping through the trees and branches were not heard either. Instead there was the scent of a fresh bed in a ventilated room among with the sounds of humans talking in a room nearby.
The lower half of the room’s walls was covered with rectangular vertical wooden planks, while the upper half had no planks but was instead painted in white.
Against the wall opposite of the door stood a bed with white sheets and pillows. To the right of the bed were two pairs of large windows and a wooden night stand. A familiar person was laying beneath the sheets...Haruno Sakura.
She had her eyes closed, her body shaking and sweating as memories of the past were haunting her in her sleep as a bad dream.
“I love you Sakura... I love you with my entire heart” The beautiful sight of Sakura and Ino holding each other in a warm embrace, kissing the other was seen before the sight changed to a darker and more dreadful one.
“I am dying Sakura! I can feel it!” It changed into the scene of Ino lying in Sakura’s arms, coughing up blood and slowly dying with excruciating pain inside her chest. The sight of it made Sakura’s face twist in despair in her sleep.
“No...Ino...you can't die...you...you must live...live for me...”
She mumbled before out of warning, her eyes instantly flew open and threw her upper body up to a sitting position, hysterically screaming her friend’s name.
“INO!!!”
Both her breathing and heartbeat were short and rapid with sweat drops raining down from her face onto the white sheets. Panicked she swung her gaze all over the room to find out where she was and looked for her friend, expecting to see trees and bushes but instead she saw the environments of a civilized room.
Where am I??
The room looked very familiar. She knew she had been here before but when and for what reason? Sakura’s head felt heavy and dozy. Her limbs were weak and very numb as well but she could still feel and move them a little but it felt quite troublesome. Some kind of cloth had been tightly tied around forehead. By touching and feeling with her hands, she found out what the cloth was...bandages. That could only mean one thing.
Hospital? I am at a hospital? So I made it back to the village, but...but what about...
Sakura’s mind and body froze as she realized she was alone in the room. Where was Ino? What had happened to the girls after Sakura passed out? Those questions had to be answered to her to still her upset mind.
I need to find out about her! I need to see her!
Her limbs struggled as she tried to get out of the bed. It was then she got reminded how her legs were still hurting a bit and feeling numb. Walking around the hospital in her current state would be very hard, if not impossible. She needed someone or something to help her. In the corner of the room she saw the best solution, a wheelchair that she could use although reaching it would be hard.
If I can just reach that wheelchair I can move around...but...
She did not have time to try anything before she suddenly heard someone opening the door leading to the room. Her gaze immediately went to the opening to see a familiar person, a male jounin with grey hair in his late twenties step inside.
“Ka...Kakashi-Sensei!?” She said shocked as if she was surprised to see he was alive.
“Good morning Sakura. So you finally woke up.” Kakashi greeted her with a smile beneath his mask but he did not get a reply back that quickly. She just stared at him with open eyes and mouth. After all, he was the first person besides Ino she had met since they had left the village.
“You...uh...I...” She did not know what to say. Her mind was too confused to know what to do or say. That though did not stop Kakashi from communicating with her.
“Good to see you woke up so early. I was worried that your injuries were more serious than what they appeared to be” Kakashi smiled again and stepped closer to Sakura’s bed, followed by another question. “So how do you feel?”
She hesitated for a short moment to check her own condition both psychically and mentally before replying back with what she came up with.
“A little light headed. My legs feel like they are made of rubber. Otherwise I guess I feel quite healthy and alive” Sakura responded and Kakashi nodded.
“That must have been quite a trip for you in the forest. Too bad what happened to Ino though.” Kakashi said naturally with a sigh and shrug. For Sakura, she froze as she heard the last part of Kakashi’s sentence.
So Ino...did she...
The shock made her feel an urge to hold on to something. While looking blankly at the wall, her hands grabbed a nearby pillow and hugged it so tightly that the veins on her arms popped out. Kakashi saw how the colours in her face instantly disappeared; making her skin share a similar colour to the white hospital pyjamas she was wearing.
“Sakura?” Kakashi asked while raising an eye brow in confusion, not understanding what seemed to make her so shocked.
So all my attempts to save her were in vain...?
Sakura’s face twisted itself in despair again, twitching as she tried to keep her emotions back, not to let Kakashi see her weakness. Her fighting was hopeless; the emotional pain was too much for her body and mind to hold back.
She let her open hand clutch her face to hide it as good as she could from her sensei. Wet sobs were heard coming from her, and then followed by wet tears dripping down onto the quilt, leaving wet dark spots.
“Oh god...” Sakura’s voice trailed off while sobbing and dug her face into the pillow.
“Why are you crying Sakura?” Her sensei asked with a concerned voice.
“Kakashi...” She squeezed out weakly “I swear to god! I did everything I could to keep Ino alive! Her wounds were too serious! She had internal bleeding, what could I possibly do against something like that?” She cried out hysterically. Kakashi looked down on the ground, not saying anything while listening to how Sakura was crying. He blamed himself as he understood what a massive verbal mistake he had just made.
“Sakura, I suppose no one has told you yet but... Ino is alive.” Kakashi informed her about the truth of Ino’s fate.
“W...what? What did you say?” Sakura could not believe what her sensei just told her. She stopped sobbing and turned herself around to him, waiting for an explanation.
“Ino is alive. She went through three surgeries during the night. One of them was very complicated and nearly killed her but she made it and will be fully restored in time”
“Where is she now?” Sakura asked eagerly and wiped away some tears from her eyes with her hands.
“She is recovering in the PR section. Would you like to see her? Although you won’t be able to talk to her because she is unconscious” Kakashi asked. He knew that Sakura wanted to see Ino. He felt he owed it to her after all the trouble she had been through.
“Yes! Can you please take me there Kakashi-Sensei? I am too weak to move by myself.”
“Of course.” He nodded. Walking to the corner, Kakashi took the wheelchair and rolled it beside the bed, then helped Sakura sit down in it by lifting her gently. Together they left the room and went down the corridor.
Kakashi and Sakura arrived to the recovery section of the hospital, the area where patients who have gone through surgery are put to recover. The girl in the wheel chair and the jounin pushing it behind her went past many doctors, nurses and white beds with patients in them. Finally they came to stop by a bed that was hidden from view by some white curtains.
“Here it is.” Kakashi pointed out “Let me just warn you Sakura, Ino went through three surgeries last night and she still has not woken up. I don’t want you to get shocked.” He warned and wanted to make sure Sakura was ready for what she was about to see.
“I understand.” Sakura nodded, gulping and steeling her mind for the worse.
Letting go of the wheelchair, Kakashi pulled the white curtains away. What Sakura saw was something she was not fully prepared for. Ino was there on the bed, lying motionlessly with white bandages covering her forehead; as well as bandages were around Ino’s chest and right knee that were hidden from view beneath the quilt.
A plastic mask had been placed on her mouth and nose that stood connected with a supportive machine helping her to breathe. A beeping monitor monitoring Ino’s heartbeat, pulse and brain activity on a screen stood on the right side of the bed. Her vital stats were quite low but steady.
“Kakashi, why, can you explain to me why she had to go through all the surgeries?” Sakura asked, wanting to know as much as possible about Ino and her injuries. Maybe that could make her feel better somehow...or even worse.
“First of all, she had a small internal bleeding inside her skull. Second, she went through a basic surgery to fix her fractured knee. If they had not done that then Ino would have to limp for the rest of her life.” Sakura felt some mental relief hearing that. She was reminded about how she would never forgive herself if Ino would have to quit her ninja career because of what Sakura had done to her.
“The final surgery was the most complicated one. I don’t know how it happened but Ino’s lung and heart had been pierced badly from her broken ribs.” He explained. Sakura looked shamefully away for a second for it was after all her fault that Ino was laying there.
“Will... Will Ino receive any permanent damage from this?” She asked nervously, feeling her heartbeat speed up as she expected the worst answer from Kakashi.
“No. She will need a couple of week’s rehabilitation but that’s all.” Kakashi said and Sakura breathed out again in relief, letting the heart beat slowly return to normal, but it sped up again when Kakashi asked her something she did not expect.
“Sakura... what happened between you and Ino in that forest?”
“What do you mean Sensei?”
“The cut across her throat” He gestured towards the partially healed wound with his finger “The doctors have examined it and found out that it was self inflicted. Why did Ino try to hurt herself?”
“She...” Sakura began quietly before she was abrupt interrupted by Kakashi again.
“And after examining her broken ribs they found out that a human fist had hit her with great force. She could not have hit herself so...” There was no doubt about it; Kakashi was a smart person that you could not trick easily. He knew that it was Sakura who had hit Ino and that Ino had for some reason tried to commit suicide. The reasons for those actions though he had no clue about but sooner or later he would find out.
“I guess Asuma was right” He sighed “maybe sending you two together out in the forest was a big mistake from us” Kakashi felt partially responsible for what had happened to Ino and Sakura.
“No Kakashi.” Sakura smiled weakly. “It might sound weird but Ino and I...we found each other... the mission was a success. You told us a week ago to write ten pages about what happened?” She let out a quiet smirk. “I think I need to write 20 if I am to write everything”
“I will look forward to read that. I expect to have it delivered to me before the end of the week”
“I understand...” Sakura paused for a few seconds before speaking again “Kakashi, can you please leave me alone with her for a few minutes?” Sakura asked her sensei carefully yet with a pleading voice. Hesitating for a few seconds as he feared Sakura would try to hurt Ino again but he quickly shrugged it off. He knew her well enough that she was not that kind of person. That she would never hurt Ino that seriously on purpose. Still, his mind had many unanswered questions which would have to wait to be answered.
“I understand. I will come and visit you again tomorrow. I can bring Sasuke and Naruto with me too if you think that’s ok. They have been very worried about you”
Sakura nodded firmly. Seeing her team mates and friends again would really cheer up. Kakashi waved good bye before going away and just when he was about to close the curtains, Sakura said something with a warm smile.
“Thank you... Kakashi-Sensei.”
Smiling back before closing the curtains, Sakura listened to the sounds of Kakashi’s fading footsteps that slowly went further away until she was hearing nothing but a little chit chat from hospital staff and sounds from the machines supporting Ino to keep her alive.
She carefully moved the wheelchair closer to Ino’s bed and leaned herself forward. Gracefully she caressed Ino’s face with her hand while looking at her with sad look.
“Please forgive me Ino, for everything I have said and done to you” Whispered Sakura “I don’t know what kind of future we have in front of us but... I don’t want it to be a bad one”
For another minute she stared at her sleeping friend and smiled.
“You are indeed a sleeping beauty, Ino...please get better soon...you and I have a lot to talk about... and who knows...maybe share a future... together” Sakura said before leaning herself closer and gave Ino a short and soft kiss on her forehead, then leaving her. What Sakura did not notice was just a few seconds after the kiss, Ino’s brain activity counter on the monitor next to her increased...
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
It only took two days for Sakura to fully recover from her injuries and exhaustion and could leave the hospital on her own. Ino however was not as lucky with her recovery. The wounds were healing well but she still had not woken up from her coma. The doctors were clueless when she would wake up but were confident that she would sooner or later.
Every day for one week, Sakura visited Ino, each day bringing a fresh daffodil flower to be put on the nightstand next to the bed. Hours could be spent with her just sitting on a chair, observing Ino's sleeping still face as if she was guarding her.
Sometimes she was accompanied by Chouji, Shikamaru, Asuma and Ino's parents, all of them were praying faithfully for their friend, team mate and daughter to wake up soon. But Sakura remained silent about telling everyone about Ino’s past problems and sexuality. That would have to wait to be told until Ino's awakening.
When not sitting by Ino’s side, she waited in her apartment, waited for someone to phone her and tell her that Ino had woken up.
All that free time gave her a lot of necessary time to think about the past, the present and the future, as well as Ino’s love to her and Sakura’s possible love to her.
Some days later when Sakura was at home, sitting in her sofa while holding and gazing Ino’s medallion, the phone suddenly rang. Hurriedly she went up from the sofa to go and pick the phone up.
“Hello?” She said. On the other side of the line, a familiar male voice spoke to her.
“Sakura? This is Asuma”
“Oh hi!” Sakura said. Her expectations grew as she understood that there could only be one reason for Asuma to call her, to tell her something that concerned Ino. Her heart beat started to beat rapidly as she heard exactly what she wanted to hear.
“I just wanted to inform you that...Ino has finally woken up”
Sakura’s eyes widened along with a happy grin spreading across her face. The happiness was so great that she happily jumped up and down, almost falling to the floor.
“Oh thank you Asuma! Can she take visitors?” Was Sakura’s first question. She panted quickly in anticipation.
“Yes she can. You are in fact the first to know about this” Asuma replied. That she was the first to find out about Ino’s recovery from Asuma made a special thought hit Sakura and a big possibility. She thought quickly about it for a second before speaking up what she had in her mind.
“Asuma...can you do me a small favour? Can you please wait with telling her parents and friends?
“Why? I don’t understand.” On the other side of the phone, Asuma frowned curiously.
“Please Asuma, there’s something incredibly important she and I need to talk about. It will most likely affect the rest of our future.”
Sakura heard Asuma taking a deep inhale from his cigarette as he pondered what to say.
“Well...alright. You got one hour”
“Thank you Asuma!”
Sakura and Asuma said good bye to each other before hanging up. Immediately Sakura put on her sandals and rushed for the door. As fast as she could, she ran down the streets of Konoha towards the hospital, not stopping for anything or anyone. She entered the hospital doors and kept running inside the building, up the stairs, dodging the doctors and nurses and even jumping over a patient’s bed instead of going around it. Finally she stopped outside the room where Ino was supposed to be resting .There she took a minute to catch her breath.
Checking herself to make sure she looked ok and felt ready, Sakura took a deep breath before knocking gently on the door. No answer was heard from the other side of it. Not intending to leave that easily, Sakura carefully pulled the door aside and peeked inside. The room looked identical to the one Sakura had rested in some days ago. Instantly she set her gaze on the blond young woman lying in the bed who had her face turned away towards the large window. A large trail of sunlight from the outside was seeping in through the glass.
Ino!
That Ino did not move at the sound of Sakura opening the door and stepping inside made her wonder if she was sleeping. When she got closer to the bed, Ino slowly turned her head around and looked at Sakura in the eyes. Sakura smiled warmly as they got eye contact with each other, she had never ever been this happy before to see her friend. It made her feel butterflies in her stomach.
However, Sakura’s smile faded away as she saw that Ino did not seem to share Sakura’s happiness. She looked into Sakura’s eyes without smiling the slightest, with a slightly hateful look before then breaking off the eye contact by turning her head away to stare out the window again, not saying anything.
“Are...aren’t you even going to say hi to me Ino?” Sakura asked curiously.
“Why should I?” Ino coldly replied, stunning Sakura with her unfriendly voice.
“Because...we haven’t talked to each other for days”
“And?”
“And... isn’t that what friends should say to each other after such long time of absence?” Sakura frowned. She had expected Ino to be bit happier to see her and not act so...unfriendly. Still not looking at Sakura, Ino said unfeelingly to her.
“You are not my friend...”
“W...what did you say?” Sakura felt her gut twist in despair, eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. She had not expected this to happen during her visit. Ino turned her face around and looked at her visitor with a stern look.
“You heard me forehead-girl...you are not my friend” She repeated herself with a harder tone, even calling Sakura her old nick name, taking Sakura completely by surprise.
“But Ino, why? What’s wrong? What have I done?” Sakura asked hurriedly, making Ino smirk a little sickly and turning her gaze away from her.
“And you are suppose to be the brain of us two...” Ino said. Hearing that, the strength in her knees started to fail Sakura, causing her to sit down on the chair nearby the bed to not fall. What was wrong with Ino? Why did she act so coldly and hostile to her best friend who had saved her life three times? Ino had only been awake for a short while but knew that she was in the hospital.
“Looks like you managed to save me for a third time...noticing that I’m still alive and lying here. But next time...I will make sure that there will be no one to save me...” There was no doubt what Ino meant with those words...but she frowned suddenly as she heard a girl starting to sob next to her. Turning around again, she saw Sakura sobbing with a hand against her face.
“Sakura...you are crying...” The sight of watching Sakura cry softened Ino’s harsh face up a bit and turned into a more compassionate, more human, kind of like Ino’s true and normal face.
“Why Ino... why are you so mean to me? How do you think it felt for me to watch my best friend helplessly die in my arms?” Sakura said, feeling a shiver up her spine as her mind recalled the sight and feeling when Ino’s life had left her.
Something in Sakura’s sentence had an effect on Ino as she suddenly looked surprised before turning her face away from her. Slowly and steadily, she managed to lift her upper body up to a sitting position.
“I...what...?” She said weakly. Judging from Ino’s reactions and how she lost all her facial colour, Sakura stopped sobbing as she realized that there was something that Ino did not know about.
“You...you mean you didn’t know? You don’t remember?” Sakura asked Ino who shook her head.
“No I did not...” She said scarcely and started to quiver. One of her hands slipped in beneath the cloth of her pyjamas, letting her fingertips feel a large scar on her numb skin that had been left after the surgery to fix her heart, lung and broke ribs. As soon as she felt and identified the scar, Ino gasped surprised as she finally realized what Sakura meant with her sentence.
“Did I die...?” She stammered with a weak voice, clearly showing signs of fear and shock.
“I am sorry Ino but I thought you knew!” Sakura tried her best to calm her down, thinking that this would not be a good time to upset or shock her after having gone through recovery from a surgery. Meanwhile, Ino’s mind was in chaos. Her whole head was filled with the events of the last two years
“If...If you hadn’t saved me...people would have been at my funeral right now...”
Just the thought of that was enough to cause her body to quiver. She saw and imagined it all so perfectly detailed within her. A lot of funeral dressed Konoha Shinobis standing gathered in front of a coffin. Most of them being silent but there were a few exceptions. She imagined her closest friends and team mate Shikamaru and Sakura crying their eyes out while her father did his best to comfort her mother who could not hold back her tears either. It was a sad scene indeed full of grieving and sorrow for the loss of a beloved friend, team mate, and daughter.
“I can’t die yet...” Ino whispered the same thing she had said during her final minute in the forest. “If I die...I will leave a lot of sorrow behind me...a lot of emptiness for those who love me...” A tear rolled down her cheek as she said that. All desires of committing suicide left her troubled mind. The thought of her mother, Shikamaru and Sakura crying was more than enough to redeem her.
“I...I...” She started, slowly turning her face back to Sakura “I remember lying in your arms, feeling so incredibly tired. So tired that you just want to drop and forget everything and immediately jump into a warm and comfy bed. That’s what I remember before everything...went black. That’s all I remember Sakura...” Ino explained to Sakura. She did not say anything if she remembered the struggle and incredible effort Sakura had made to get Ino back to the hospital, including the nightmarish time when she had begged Sakura to kill her but Sakura felt that this was not the time to tell her that.
She thought that Ino seemed to be more normal now, not staring at her with a hateful look or telling her not to see her again. It felt risky, but Sakura lifted herself off the chair to instead sit down on Ino’s bed. They sat and looked into each other eyes for what seemed like an eternity, both of them waiting to see who would talk first.
“I’m sorry Ino...” Sakura began, not knowing how many times she had told her friend that lately. She was interrupted gently.
“No. It’s my turn to say sorry to you Sakura...I have torn up your life really badly. It is my own fault that I am laying here. My fault that you had to see me...” Ino broke the eye contact for a second before resuming it. She was not able to say the words “See me pass away...it must have felt horrible for you”
Sakura was just about to open her mouth to reply when she looked down to see Ino holding her hand gently like a good friend.
“I...” Sakura smiled weakly and looked up again “I guess we both have something to feel sorry for...but what’s done is done. It is impossible to change the past but we can change the now...and the future”
“The future...what is your future Sakura?”
“My future...is to become a strong and skilled medical ninja so that I never have to helplessly watch my friends suffer...or die” That was something she had fully decided during her time when she had waited for Ino to wake up “But what about you?”
“I...I am not sure” Ino shrugged. “I don’t know what kind of future we have ahead of us...but I don’t want it to be a bad one” Ino repeated the exact same sentence as Sakura had told Ino while she was in her ? Perhaps Ino’s coma was not so deep after all...
“I want to continue my ninja career...but more importantly, I want to find someone special. Someone who loves me for what I am” Ino raised her head a bit and locked her gaze with Sakura. “I must know Sakura...are you the one for me? Yes or no? Whatever you choose, I shall not blame you in any way...or try to hurt myself again. I shall accept your answer and move forward with my life”
The ultimate choice Ino gave Sakura was without a doubt the toughest one ever in her whole life. Whatever her answer would be, it would affect her whole life. She was standing at the largest cross road ever. If she would choose the wrong one, it would not be possible for her to undo it so that’s why she had to make sure to follow her heart and choose what she thought would be best.
While Sakura pondered, Ino kept talking.
“I truly meant what I told you there in the forest Sakura. Words cannot describe how much I love you...”
Inside the room was a person who loved Sakura. As far as she knew, Ino was the first person ever who had admitted her love for her. There were other people who have had feelings for Sakura. She thought about each and one of them. Her team mate Naruto who had Hinata, her protector and good friend Lee who was together with Tenten and finally Sakura’s last team mate Sasuke who had chose to stand alone. To him, Sakura was just a friend and team mate, nothing more.
For all this time I have looked for people who love me and want to be with me...I have fought hard to get Sasuke’s acknowledgement for so long...And it blinded me, for all that time, there has been someone who loved me...I just looked in the wrong direction.
Both Ino and Sakura were alone. If she said no to her, how much longer will they be alone? How long will it take until they again meet a person they want to love and live with? Maybe Ino would be the only one ever to love Sakura? Sakura closed her eyes to concentrate better and to think deeper. Her mind recalled almost all the events involving Sakura and Ino together for the last two years, how much they had argued with one another but still able to laugh and smile occasionally, how they almost could not stand the sight of each other. But one special week had totally changed their views about each other, especially Sakura. So much had happened that week. Sakura had saved Ino’s life three times, watched her try to commit suicide, been through a dangerous storm where Ino saved Sakura’s life instead, seen Ino’s half-naked body and kissed each other passionately. Was all that in vain?
Sakura’s long silence and lack of absence made Ino think the worse, making her turn away and sigh, her face showing how she both looked sad and disappointed.
But she turned back as she noticed Sakura inching herself closer to sit just next to her.
Sakura’s hand went inside her pocket to pull out something familiar to both of them, Ino’s medallion. Opening it up in front of Ino’s face, the picture of Sakura was still inside of it...as was something new...a small picture of Ino.
“Why did you...” Ino asked curiously and slightly shocked about the sight of seeing her picture inside the silvery heart shaped medallion.
“They say that you shall follow your heart right? You told me that you are suppose to keep a picture of your true love inside this medallion. What if two people who love each other both put their photos in it?” Sakura smiled warmly. She moved herself even closer to her friend and put each end of the chain holding the medallion around Ino’s neck, attaching the loose ends together and letting go of it to let it rest on Ino’s chest.
She put her arms around her neck and placed her head next to Ino. Inhaling air into lungs before exhaling, Sakura formed her lips and tongue to whisper the three unique words into Ino’s ear.
“I love you...” Now Sakura’s own confession was done. She now understood how Ino must have felt when it was she who confessed to her. Ino gasped in surprise as she heard what Sakura said and understood what answer Sakura had chosen.
“Thank you Sakura...you make me so happy!” She put her own arms around Sakura and hugged her warmly.
“So that means from now on, you and I shall be together?” Ino asked and Sakura nodded.
Both of them led their faces towards the other, letting their lips meet.
“We have about 40 minutes before your parents and friends come here...let’s try to make the best out of it” Sakura said with a smirk and they both giggled, laying themselves down onto the hospital bed, giggling cheerfully as they kissed and showed their love for each other.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
One week later
After another week of recovery for Ino, she could finally leave the hospital bed. Still, she had to spend several days inside the hospitals gym to work on her damaged knee. Also, Godaime Hokage Tsunade had ordered her to talk to a psychologist afterwards. After all, Ino had tried to commit suicide in the forest and it was important to prevent her from trying again. She talked a lot with the psychologist about her problems, but it was also with great help from Sakura she managed to solve most of her emotional problems.
Even after such long time, Ino’s parents still did not know any details about their daughter’s past problems.
After a few days of leaving the hospital for good, the inevitable moment came for Ino to talk with someone who felt she was really special to, and someone who she thought was special as well, Nara Shikamaru.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
On a sunny day in Konoha, Sakura and Ino were walking together in the park where several other people were as usual in such beautiful day. A cane was held in Ino’s right hand which she used for support for her right leg that had almost fully healed itself. She had arranged a meeting with Shikamaru, a meeting that could change their relationship forever. Whether it would be for the good or bad was yet to be seen. The girls saw the one they were looking for. Shikamaru was sitting on a park bench, leaning himself backwards while keeping his leg crossed and arms spread up along the back support of the bench. Sakura and Ino stopped a bit away behind him.
“You want me to go with you?” Sakura asked Ino who just shook her head weakly.
“No thank you” She talked quietly, showing that she was very uncomfortable about what she was going to do but was so in a passive unnoticeably way. “This is between him and me. I need to do this alone” She ensured herself to strengthen her resolve. Sakura nodded understandingly before removing her supportive arm from Ino’s shoulders.
Using the cane to ease the job for her right knee, Ino left Sakura’s side to walk towards where Shikamaru sat while Sakura remained where she was.
She observed her reaching him; greeting each other before Ino sat down next to Shikamaru. Sakura waited and leaned herself against the trunk of a tree and could do nothing but to watch the pair of people on the bench.
As the minutes passed, she saw Ino and Shikamaru began talking with each other like as if nothing was wrong, probably talking about how they felt and what had happened to them lately, some gossip and chitchat. But as more of the minutes passed, Shikamaru’s smile faded away bit by bit until he turned his gaze away from Ino completely.
Looks like she is telling him now...Poor Shikamaru
He sat with his elbows on his knees, looking blankly down to the ground while Ino talked to him with an arm around over his shoulder.
Sakura sighed and felt sad for Shikamaru. She could not hear what they were saying but he did seem to seem not take the news and truth about Ino so well. He was quiet and looked calm but she could tell that Shikamaru was keeping his true reactions on the inside.
After a short moment, Sakura watched as Ino inched herself closer to him and tightened her arm on his shoulder. From where she was standing, Sakura could not tell exactly but Shikamaru almost looked as if he was about to cry which seemed out of character. Just like Ino, Shikamaru was not the type to cry, especially not in front of girls. Barely, Sakura managed to hold back her own tears who wanted to come out from her eyes as she felt quite the sorrow and sympathy for Ino’s team mate and long-life friend.
It was then Shikamaru turned his head slightly to Ino and said something to her which made her almost react the same way as he had! What exactly did he say in a situation like that? Was it maybe a confession as well?
Finally it seemed to have reached its end. Ino slowly stood up on a pair of unsteady knees and left Shikamaru sitting on the bench who did not move, talk or look at any of them. The girls walked forward to meet each other.
“How did it go?” Sakura asked curiously but carefully. That was her first obvious question but somehow felt stupid for asking after having witnessed the whole thing.
“It...I guess it could have gone better but...he will understand in time, I know he will.” Ino said quietly, not looking at Sakura until she burst out sobbing. Sakura reached out and embraced Ino consoling.
“He...he said...” Ino sobbed against Sakura’s shoulder. Whatever Shikamaru had said, it had upset her greatly.
“It’s ok Ino. That was very strong and brave of you.”
“Oh god...” Ino wiped away a tear from her eye “That was even worse than confessing to you.”
“It’s over now Ino; you don’t need to worry anymore. Your parents and friends will soon know who and what you are. Even if they won’t understand in the beginning they will sooner or later like you said. You will soon be able to return to a normal life without any weird gazes or questions from anyone” Sakura said to Ino while still being together in an embrace. Her words truly helped as Ino stopped sobbing and wiped another tear away.
“Yeah...I understand” She nodded. “Please Sakura; will you follow me back home? I really need your company” She asked her friend and Sakura nodded. Before letting Ino go, Sakura gave her a soft kiss on her cheek before putting back her arm over Ino’s shoulder who did the same thing. Together they turned around and began following the street up ahead towards Ino’s house.
Yamanaka Ino and Haruno Sakura...
They started out as bitter rivals...
Turned into trusting friends...
Before turning into lovers...
Rivals, friends and lovers...all at the same time...
End of Story
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
AN: FINALLY I have finished the story and all 13 chapters. Believe me; I am very glad and relieved. It’s been both fun and frustrating to write this story.
To those that love this story as well as Inosaku and shojo-ai, I am thinking about writing a sequel. It will take place two years into the future and Sakura and Ino are living happily. It will be as big as this story or maybe even bigger. It will have a lot of drama, romance, and angst just like in this story but also some action and fighting. Also, there will be more familiar characters in it; Shikamaru will have a very big role which was why he was in the final scene in this chapter. In that sequel, you will find out what really Ino and Shikamaru said to each other in a flash back.
I have most of the story laid out in my head but I can’t guarantee I will write it for I like to take my time to first plan my stories before actually writing them. I call myself a good but slow writer. I am a little tired on the romance and drama thing and want to write something with lots of action. We will see what will happen next and I will try to keep you updated as good as I can with my ff profile. Of course you can talk to me over AIM, hotmail, Yahoo or MSN.
See ya and thank you all for the support.
Back to Rivals, Friends and Lovers Index -
Back to Naruto Shoujo-Ai Fanfiction