AN: Sorry for the delay, cat knocked over a cup of water on my computer. Lucky for me, I write things out first. ^_^

No omake today. :P

"Hello?" I answer, slightly, breathless.

"We need to talk."

My heart drops. "Ino… What's up?"

"The most wonderful thing happened today!" She squeals. "I'm dating Sai! Can you believe it? One of the hottest guys in the school asked me out!" She squeals again.

I fight down a wave of nausea. "That's… wow. But why are you telling me instead of Sakura?"

"She was there when he asked! Besides, I really wanted to talk to my 'little brother' about it." She giggles. "Anyway, I called Chouji about it, and he said I should tell you before someone else did."

"How thoughtful."

"I know. I'm wonderful, aren't I?" Another giggle. "Anyway, I called you like eight times already. I almost didn't call again."

"You could have left a voicemail." *Not like I would have needed it…*

"Yeah, but you wouldn't have listened to it, anyway. Anyway, just listen, okay?"

She goes on for the next five minutes, starting with how Sai had asked for her number last night at the party and continuing all the way through what I had seen earlier. I half-listened, making the appropriate noises to make it seem like I'm actually paying attention, still making my way to the road.

"I can't believe you're being so cool about this," she says suddenly. I jerk to a stop, now paying full attention. "You used to hate Sai," she continues, "and now you're listening to me talk about maybe going on dates with him. Are you feeling okay?"

I swallow past the lump in my throat. I want to tell her the truth; that I don't think he's the right guy for her, that I'm the person she should be with. But I don't want to push her away. The only thing I can do is tell her part of the truth.

"…I just… want you to be happy."

The phone is silent for a moment. "Wow, Shika," she finally responds, voice catching. "That's so sweet of you. You really are my best friend, y'know?"

"That doesn't mean I think he's good enough for you."

She laughs again. "Nobody's good enough for me to you."

I see lights in the distance. *Chouji's truck…* I turn away from the road, knowing exactly where he'd stop. "What can I say? I have high standards."

Another laugh. "Anyway, I've got to go. But I wanted to say… Thank you. For being such a great friend, I mean. You and Chouji are like family to me, and I don't know what I would have done if I'd lost your friendship."

I swallow thickly. "Ino, I will always be there for you. No matter what. You mean the world to me."

She makes a sound, somewhere between a sob and a laugh. "I have the best friends. (Sniff) I love you guys."

"I… yeah."

She giggles. "I'll take it. I have to go now. See you at school?"

"Yeah."

Click!

I stare at the phone after she hangs up. The background is a picture of me, Ino, Chouji, and Asuma Sarutobi, our old teacher. The backlight turns off, leaving only a reflection of my face.

I wipe my face off on my arm, shove my phone in my pocket, and slouch towards the road.

...

I find Chouji about half a mile down the road, sitting cross-legged in front of the roadside memorial that everyone in school had out together for Sarutobi-san.

Sarutobi-san had been our Boy Scout leader back when we were 12. He'd quit working as a police officer when he lost one of his best friends. He would often bring his class on field trips out in the woods on nature trips. He'd also been the person to teach me how to play several different games, games that actually challenged my mind.

Sensei had been out scouting for another trip when he'd come across a cave where the legendary "Bounty Hunters," Hidan and Kakuzu, were hiding. The duo was wanted in several states for their illegal practices of "catching bounties."

According to the papers, Sensei planted some dynamite at the entrance to the hideout and buried Hidan alive. But Kakuzu hadn't been in the cave. He waited until Sensei made it to the road, and then brutally murdered him, using nothing but a butcher knife. What Kakuzu hadn't known was that Sensei had called in a favor shortly before blowing up the cave entrance. Moments after Sensei was killed, a SWAT team descended upon the area. It took 27 heavy-duty rounds to get past his heavy body armor. The papers had quoted his longtime friend, Kakashi Hatake.

"If we hadn't had to go through all the legal tape, Asuma would still be alive.

I approach Chouji slowly, stopping to lean against a tree on the opposite side of the road. He sniffs once, rubs his face across his sleeve.

"You talk to her?"

"Yeah."

"Everything good?"

"…Yeah."

He sighs loudly, putting his hands on his knees and looking up at the sky."Sensei wouldn't want this."

I shrug my shoulders and look away. "Sensei isn't here."

He stares at the night sky for a few moments, then gets up. "Are you staying at my house?"

"No. Yoshino's mad enough."

He slumps his shoulders. "Door's unlocked."