Ino's Depression

"Ino…", said Shikamaru with a worried tone for he has never seen Ino so depressed. He didn't know what was going on whether it was mood swings or what but he couldn't bear to see her like this any longer. He didn't only notice the fact she was more depressed lately but, everyday when she would come for training she would have scabbed up cuts on her arms. Usually Ino was energetic but, she just isn't this time. So as he watched her gaze out the window he said once again, "Ino…? Are you ok? Is something bothering you?" She didn't respond again, so he decided to leave her alone for a while. So he stood up slowly, grasping Ino's attention, giving her a gentle smile and said, "I'll leave you alone for a while…" So after he said this he left her house.

Ino brought her knees to her chest as she heard the front door slam. She wrapped an arm around her legs and rested her chin on her knees, she was about to cry, but she held in the pain just for a little bit. She slid her free hand under her pillow and searched for a handle, a handle of a knife, she moved her hand all around and finally she found the handle of it. She wrapped her light yet again fragile fingers around the handle and brought it into the open. She shifted her eyes to that hand that was holding a sharp knife as a tear rolled down her cheek. She tried to smile which she has not done in a long time but she just couldn't the pain that was tearing away her heart was to strong. She brought up her arm and sat Indian style with her free arm straight with her wrist resting on her knee. "WH-why me?" She said this with a shuttered voice. "Why am I… am I th-the only one that i-is blimp an-and no longer beautiful…?" More tears started to roll down her pale skin. "Why did Sasuke choose Sakura……?" She brought the knife to her free arm and pressed the edge of it lightly onto her pale yet beautiful skin. She started to cry heavier and she was unable to hold back these tears of pain any longer. "Why-why did Shikamaru the one I wish to be with…. Ha-have to st-start dating Tem-Temari?" Ino was suffering emotionally. She was with Shikamaru more then Temari was. She didn't understand she wanted to be held now that's all she wanted, was to be held by Shikamaru and be told that he loved her. At this moment she put pressure to the edge of her knife and slowly slid the knife on her skin towards her wrist. Luckily this cut wasn't as deep as some other ones she had. But it was deep enough to get blood. As she stared down at the wound she just gave herself she wondered if Shikamaru will ever come in and stop her. But she knew that would never happen. She looked up at her ceiling as her tears slowly started to stop and she fell down to the side and there she thought about Shikamaru and how much better it must be to be with Temari then her. Then faint images of Shikamaru started to appear in her mind, images of Shikamaru and Temari having a good time arms around each other, laughing, and smiling. She started to cry again and ended up crying herself to sleep that night.

"You think she cutting herself?", said Temari with a worried and confused expressions on her face, "Why would she ever do that I mean if she's depressed you would think she would talk to someone she's that type of girl that would express their emotions right away!" Shikamaru was confused as well, "Yea I know it's rather troublesome to deal with a cutter but, it's Ino I can't let her do such things to herself." As he said this he looked at the ground sadly, "I don't want anything troublesome to happen to her. But what is bugging me is why and when did this start?" Temari looked at him and crossed her arms. "Do you think she might suspect something is going on between us? I mean we have been hanging out together but that is more on friendly terms." Shikamaru was shocked that Temari would say something like this even though he liked if not loved Ino, Ino would never return the same feelings her heart belonged to Sasuke not a not-so-cool kid like Shikamaru. He laughed at the thought, "Heh Ino has no feelings for me whatsoever if she does it's to hold her when she does her jutsu." Temari turned to the side, "You don't know much about girls do you… Shikamaru?" Shikamaru sat down on the ground and looked up at the sky, "No... They tend to be rather troublesome just like my mother. So, no I don't know much about girls nor their feelings." Temari shook her head, "You should pay more attention … Shikamaru." Shikamaru thought for a few moments but there's no way him and Ino? Shikamaru knew no matter how much he thought or dreamed he knew it wouldn't happen. Temari looked at him she knew that he was thinking about what she just said "I'll be going back to my village I won't be returning for a while so farewell." She waved and then walked off. Shikamaru waved back lazily. "Bye..." He walked back to his house and went to sleep after that.

The next morning Ino woke up and looked at her arm forgot what happened the night before. "What… happened…?" She shot up from lying down and glanced at her arm once more. "I did it again didn't I?" She laughed a little and put her sleeve back onto her arm in hopes no one would notice anything. She slid herself off of her bed and stood in front of her mirror to fix her hair. As she was looking into the mirror she was Shikamaru leaning on her door with his lazy face as usual. She turned around a little surprised but she did greet him, "Oi...Shikamaru!" "You seem rather happy today", said Shikamaru with a small smile, "I like it when you're happy..." Ino didn't want to hear that at least not from Shikamaru. She tied up her hair and asked, "Why are you here?" Shikamaru looked around her room then glanced up at her, "I wanted to see if you were feeling any better but, it seems that you are you seem to have more joy on your face then usual." Ino looked at the ground and clenched the arm that she wounded the night before. "Oh... well I'm fine I suppose so you don't have to stay here." Shikamaru raised an eyebrow for he knew she did something, "You cut...don't you..? Why do you cut?" Ino's eyes widened she was hoping that he would never have even noticed the scabbed up wounds. Shikamaru started to walk towards Ino and took her arm and pulled off the sleeve. He glanced down and looked at her wounds then glanced up at her face with a sadden expression. "Why..."

Ino turned her face to avoid the expression he had on his face. She didn't need to hear it right now, she already had a breakdown the night before but she didn't want or need another one. He dropped her sleeve onto the ground then he clenched onto her wrist and brought her arm up from he could examine the cuts she had. "I can't believe that you of all people would do such a thing…", Shikamaru shook his head in disappointment and didn't know what else to say he was left speechless after seeing her arm. He put her arm back to her side and used that hand to turn her head to face his, she didn't fight back because she didn't want to argue or even have this discussion with him. When he had her facing him he started to slide his hand under her chin. She didn't want this to happen at least not like this. She never wanted him to know about this she knew that he would be this worried. "I… I didn't tell you because I knew you would act like this…", after she said that she shifted her eyes to the ground.

Shikamaru wasn't really prepared for this to happen so he let out a long sigh then said, "I probably wouldn't have been as worried if you told me from the start." Ino shifted her eyes back up then to the side and said, "Could you just leave me alone, I bet Temari misses you…." Shikamaru's eyes widened and then thoughts raced through his head, "Is this why you are cutting yourself?" Ino removed his hand from her chin and slid down the wall to the ground. She just sat there with watery eyes. She wanted to cry but she just couldn't in front of Shikamaru the one she loved. Shikamaru kneeled down in front of her and rested his hand on the side of her face. "Ino…" he said, "Do you think Temari and I are dating…?" Ino looked into his eyes, "Yes." Shikamaru removed his hand from her face and got up looking toward the opposite side of the room, "I'll leave you alone for a little while, you should get some rest, and… don't cut I'll be back here to check on you…" She looked up at him as he walked out of the room.

. She needed to talk to someone now to let out her emotions, but, she didn't know who to talk to Sakura was too busy nowadays searching for Sasuke along with Naruto. Chouji is probably at a food bar with Asuma eating all-you-can-eat buffet. There's no way that she would go and talk to Temari for she was dating Shikamaru or at least in Ino's opinion she was. She finally decided to just go outside to look at the flower beds at people's houses, after all she does like flower and they make her happy. She got on her shoes and left her house and started to walk down the road.

Ino stood there with Shikamaru's hand resting on her shoulder, enjoying his touch, "I'm sorry about earlier, I hope that you two are happy together, you really do deserve each other." Shikamaru looked at her, he noticed that she was smiling when she said this, did she really mean it, and was she really happy about it? "We're not together you know… We are just friends." Ino shook her head in disbelief, "Really there's no reason to lie and make me happy, I don't care anymore." Shikamaru looked down, Ino was like a wall to get information through to at times, and this was one of those times. "Fine, even go ask her, we aren't… The one I really like is you Ino." "Once again with the useless lies, weren't you about to leave, then go leave, spend your night with Temari, I'll be here as usual." She removed his hand from her shoulder, and then sat on the couch that was next to the chair that he was sitting in a few moments ago. Shikamaru did want to leave, in fact he couldn't wait but he needed to make sure that everything was ok with Ino first. "Ino, I am not lying, there's nothing between me and Temari, well besides friendship but nothing more. Why don't you believe me?" Ino started ignoring Shikamaru, he was getting on his nerves and it was ticking her off. "Ino… I hate it when you ignore me like this" Shikamaru let out a sigh. "It's too troublesome…" "I'll take it I'm to troublesome for you as well, right Shikamaru?" Ino stopped ignoring him, eyes staring at him.

"No… you're the opposite of troublesome Ino." Ino sat their, wishing he would just say that over and over again, it made her feel at ease, as though he actually cared. "You always treat me as though I am troublesome." As soon as she said that she put on her pouty expression, as soon as Shikamaru saw this expression he knew things were back to normal, "I try not to." Ino laughed a little, "You're not the best at charming a girl Shikamaru." Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, "Who said I was trying to charm you?" Ino shook her head "You're such a jerk…" Shikamaru suddenly got a confused feeling, mood swings perhaps? Shikamaru walked over to the couch and sat next to Ino and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Please Ino… don't be sad anymore, it hurts me to see you sad…" Ino covered her ears, she wanted Shikamaru go away, the thoughts of him to disappear. Shikamaru removed her hands from her ears with his free hand he wanted Ino to hear what he needed to say, and he wouldn't be able to get the words through her if her ears are covered, "Ino, I love you, not Temari…" Ino shook her head in disbelief, over and over, she was getting overwhelmed, too much emotion in one day for her. "No you don't! You love Temari, don't act like I never see you two hug each other and hold hands!" Shikamaru was shocked, hearing this just made him feel guilty, "It is true that we were together, but that didn't last Ino, I only want you, not Temari, just you." Ino shook her head some more, "Liar! It's me who loves you, you love her, and… "Tears started to stream from Ino's eyes, running down her pale cheeks, she was emotionally weak once again. Shikamaru pulled her into a comforting hug, hoping that it would calm her down, but it didn't. Ino just sat there, wrapped within Shikamaru's comforting arms, sobbing into his chuunin vest. "Why do you like to torture me like this…?" She said that so quietly that Shikamaru barely heard what she had said, but he heard, "I'm not trying to torture you, I just want to be with you, and you alone, so please smile for me and stop those tears…" It always pained him to see her in so much pain, and it pained him even more if that pain was caused by him.

Shikamaru squeezed tighter onto Ino, in hopes it would calm her. IT did a little, but not by a lot, her tears turned into silent sniffles, that made him feel a little calmer. "You really are precious…" Ino looked up at him, not fully understanding what he had meant, "What do you mean…?" Shikamaru stroked his fingers through her pony tail and smiled, "You, you're precious, and no one else can replace you…" Ino looked away from him, "But Temari…." He sighed deeply when hearing this, "Temari and I are just friends, how many times must I tell you this?" "Until you convince me…" she said with a quiet voice, there she pushed him away gently, and removed herself from the hug that he was giving her, "It's time that I go to bed…." Shikamaru sighed, and mumbled to himself "At least she knows how I feel now… Or… at least I told her." He shot up from his seat and walked towards the door, "I love you Ino…" As he said those words he opened the door, walked out of her house and shut the door behind him. Ino watched him as he left, and smiled softly to herself, in a way she believed him, but at the same time she didn't, she just needed to remember Rock Lee's words, 'as long as she is happy I'm happy' She kept replaying those words of his over and over in her mind, That's what she truly desired, was that Shikamaru was happy, and not saddened because of her. Ino got off her couch, went to her room and changed into her pajamas. "Goodnight… Shikamaru…" She whispered to the air, as if he was still there, but he was sleeping quietly in his own bed. She laid down in her bed, pulled the blankets over her and she started to reflect over the night, and there she slept.