Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters; they belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I don't get any money from this.

Author notes/warnings: This is just a quick drabble I wrote from Ino's POV. It can be stand-alone or go as an epilogue to the main story.

Curled up into Sai's chest, Ino keeps herself from nodding off. Sai is warm and Ino is sleepy (too sleepy in fact to think any perverted thoughts about Sai's lean stomach and pale muscles…okay, maybe Ino is thinking a few perverted thoughts).

"What's in a name? that which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet;"

(Ignoring that there seems to be no England in the Naruto-universe and therefore no Shakespeare, the author hopes the reader can accept this snippet without further thought).

Sai is reading Ino poetry (Sakura told him that poetry was romantic; Ino wishes she had told him sex was romantic, but Sai still just looks confused whenever she tries to seduce him); Ino wishes he was reading porn. That way Ino could be straddle him and ride him until they collapsed into a haze of post-coital sleep at daybreak.

Sai stops from reading the poetry, and his face is blanker than usual. Ino is filling in the spaces of Sai's blankness and knows this blankness is the bad kind. At least, Sai now trusts she will not leave him when he doesn't fake a smile. Sai, still so scared everyone will leave him empty and alone, fakes a smile for everyone. He thinks a smile will make them stay.

"Juliet-san says any name will smell as sweet, so it does not matter," Sai muses out loud.

"Yup, babe," Ino mumbles, pressing herself against his chest. If she presses hard enough, maybe he will be understand she loves him and wants to fill what he thinks is blankness with love.

"But the only name I have is Sai. And that is not a name; it's a weapon—just what Danzo called and used me as. You need a name so you are a person. Having a name means people acknowledge you as a comrade. My books tell me that."

"Do you not like being called Sai?" Ino asks hesitantly.

"No, I love it when you say my name, beautiful" Sai murmurs.

"Well, maybe your name is what the people you love call you. People acknowledge you, Sai. Even Sasuke calls you 'shithead' because he's talking to you and acknowledging you—" Ino now understands Sai's joy at receiving a nickname from Sasuke and winces—"when we call you Sai, it's because we see you. Because we love you as a person—not a weapon. You're our Sai."

"Yours?"

"Yes, mine. I love you, babe."

Sai's face is a picture of wonderment.

It breaks Ino's heart that their love is so surprising.

One day, she swears, she will tell him she loves him, and Sai will believe her.