First! This is my third drabble or whatever you want to call this. I'm so happy I got this far :3 I'll start a longer fanfic later, I promise, and to all the people that read my other works, thank you a lot!

Second! Even though a lot of you know, "baka" means "idiot" in Japanese. But I felt that somehow it would lose its feel if I use "idiot" instead.

Third! Enjooooy :3

Fourth! I nearly forgot. Thanks to Mewgia Mirrorcoat for betareading my story!

She was laid down on the ground. Her platinum blond hair, once long, was now ragged, short, and painted with blood. What had she done to deserve that? To have seen her friends killed before her... why couldn't they have ran? Ran and left her behind? It was her fault for having a broken ankle, not theirs. They could still run. But Shikamaru... he insisted on carrying her, even if it slowed him down. And everyone had come back to save them. What for?

She was crying now.

"Ino..." the voice was faint, weak - barely audible. But it was there.

She made an effort to turn her head towards him, whispering his name, "Shika...maru." She wished she could have used the time she had better. But she'd been too blind to see it - the truth.

"I'm... sorry. Even... if you probably don't..."

Ino raised her eyes to look at him. She flinched when she saw his body, covered with wounds and scars. And she laughed. She laughed, and she smiled. She used her hands to push herself towards him, until she could put her head on his chest.

"...I love you too, baka."