And here we are, at the end of the school year. I wouldn't say I'm jumping for joy, but it's good nonetheless. And my friend and I are working on some major lulz...coming to an ED near you before July 2nd! In any case, I come bearing a new chapter of my Naruto story 'Dig.' You can find the rest here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3701040/1/Dig

hapter Eleven

The Wheel of Fortune

Okay, so maybe she had lost her head for a moment when she had brazenly left her apartment without thinking about what she would do. Now she was standing outside, feeling the rain pound down on her bare head and watching people rush down the streets. Shocked that people were even walking in this weather, Ino considered going back inside for a sweater. This would’ve only made her more cautious, and then she’d start doubting her motives. So I’m going to have to find him wherever he is in this freezing weather? She thought miserably, dragging her feet down the street. Temari’s residence was three blocks down, so that meant Ino would have to spend ten wretched minutes in the rain, which felt more like ice cubes.

Doubts had plagued her for the longest time, although nobody would be able to tell you if you asked them about Yamanaka Ino. They would surely say that she was a woman who took a stand and meant every word she said. Oh, if only they knew! They’d be shocked. Even her parents didn’t know what went on inside her mind. Such was the mind of girls. Her father was overjoyed when he found out that he was the father of a girl, but later Ino would discover that he had been desperately hoping for a baby boy. She had been depressed about this at first, but she tried to imagine herself in his position. It didn’t work, but she still felt sorry for him.

She wished she could’ve been a better daughter, a better friend, a better person.

---

So

Here we

Are, not knowing

Exactly what we’re going

To do from here on

Out.

---

The irony didn’t pass Shikamaru. He couldn’t sleep at all for the past week and a half. It was natural, but he wondered about a lot of things, too. Things that were disconcerting, yet interesting all the same. He started having a little more faith in the unknown, whatever that meant. Was it because of the absence of the girl who had the most commitment in that sort of thing? It could have been, but maybe it was just because he needed something to believe in. Jobless and pitiful, the unknown was all that Shikamaru had left to hold on to.

“I’m going out, Deer Boy,” Temari called out, slamming the door behind her before she received a response. She reminded him of Ino in more ways than one. Their abusive nature, bitch complex, even their insecurities were similar.

He wasn’t sure if this was a good thing yet.

---

She didn’t know what to make of seeing Hinata waiting at the bus stop in such weather. The girl hardly went outside anyway other than to go to work, and it was a Sunday. So when Ino took refuge under the roof of the bus stop, she asked, “What are you doing here in this weather?”

The Hyuuga, apparently shocked by Ino’s sudden arrival, collected her scattered thoughts for a minute before saying, “Er, uh, I was going down to California for a little while.” The blonde looked at the travel bag Hinata had been carrying and it occurred to her that this was completely unplanned.

“What inspired you to do something so spontaneously?” she blurted out, knowing Hinata’s cautious nature. The very last thing she’d do willingly was take off to another state by herself without telling anyone.

“Curiosity, I suppose.” The bus came, and Hinata politely smiled and waved goodbye, boarding the bus. Ino had to admire her impulsiveness, a trait that no one would have thought the Hyuuga girl possessed. Even Ino wasn’t aware of that bold streak, and she had known her since the third grade. Maybe this had something to do with her inhuman crush on Naruto, if you could even call it that anymore? In front of him, she’d act completely different, that or not act at all.

And Ino had an epiphany. A very, very disturbing epiphany. She herself had acted different in front of Shikamaru. It was like her personality had flipped 180° whenever he was around. Her heart, whether she realized it or not, skipped a couple beats and there was a nervous fluttering in her stomach. Her mind, even if she wasn’t paying attention, thought, Am I doing something wrong?

And it was her soul that officially made her realize everything.