Ino sighed. She was laying on a hill with Shikamaru and Chouji, cloud watching. Those lazy asses fell asleep. But that's better. She needed the silence to think over the past events. A month has gone past since she's made her decision. And she was so happy from it, even if she was lonely.

After breaking down and having her friends support her, she realized she was better off without any guys. She was happy before them, she could be happy after them. So she decided she wasn't ready for a relationship, and told the three boys she just wanted to be friends with them.

And boy, they sure did move on fast. Maybe it was to respect Ino's decision and not push further? Whatever the reason, the situation took a whole different turn, and it no longer involved Ino, thank goodness.

There was Sasuke, who saw through yet another fangirl who had sincere feelings towards him. Her name was Karin. She wasn't new, and she went to their school, but she was quiet and kept to herself. Good for her for not wanting to get into drama.

There was Sakura, who yet again was rejected from Sasuke. But after the news of Sasuke and Karin dating, she gave her full attention to Naruto, offering him a chance. Naruto declined, unable to forgive her for the way she treated him previously. So Sakura decided to be with the other guy who was unconditionally in love with her. Lee.

There was Naruto, who was heart-broken from rejecting the girl he loved so much. But with a few hints from Ino, the dense idiot finally figured out Hinata's feelings for him. So he asked her about it and she nearly fainted. But when he asked her out, she did end up fainting.

There was Tenten, who was finally noticed by Neji. The two were slowly taking their relationship to the next level, and in the beginning stages of dating.

There was Kiba, who didn't find a girl. When Ino told him she wanted to be his friend, he laughed and agreed. Kiba didn't need a girl. He wanted to continue being himself and if a girl was fond of him, then he'd give her a chance. But at the moment he was a single-pringle, and enjoying it.

And then there was Ino. She was as single as ever. She was still lonely, but she was happy. Happy for her friends who found what they were looking for, and happy for her friend who wanted time for himself, just as she did. In time she might find a guy who doesn't have drama surrounding him.

Ino sighed. "Where are you?" She whispered, calling out to whoever her guy may be.

She sat up and took a look around her. There was still Shikamaru sleeping on the hill, Chouji munching on a chip in his sleep, Shino searching for bugs under a bench. Kiba was light-heartedly laughing as he rolled in the fields with Akamaru.

Ino was surprised to see that maybe in the future there could be a possibility of those two liking one another once again. Ino shook her head. Too early to think about Kiba.

And there was Gaara in the sandbox. This time when she looked over, Gaara looked up too. Ino looked away quickly, mentally swearing for staring. Gaara wasn't a bad guy, he was just scary. Ino couldn't even begin to think about a relationship with him. But wouldn't that make it mysterious...?

Ino shook her head. "Okay, maybe being single forever is the way to go."

"Even I wouldn't stay single forever." A deep voice responded.

Ino jumped. In front of her was Gaara. Oh geez. "Are you calling me pathetic?"

"In some form." Gaara shrugged. "It is essential to find love in this world. If you don't have it, then why are you here? If you really want it, you have to go look for it. Sometimes you have to be patient..."

Ino blinked. Was Gaara really giving her advice... On relationships? She would have laughed if not for the serious look on Gaara's face. She sighed once more. "Well I don't exactly think I'm the most compatible person for just anyone."

"Are you really saying that to me?" Gaara asked, raising a non-existent brow.

Ino's eyebrows creased. "Oh, well I guess we can be incompatible together."

"Is that a suggestion?"

"What?!" Ino asked shocked. She looked up at Gaara's blank face. He didn't seemed the least bit fazed.

"The way you said it was in a suggestive tone."

Ino laughed. "Oh god, I think I did."

Gaara shook his head and turned around, heading back to the sandbox. Ino watched after him. That was an unusual conversation. Ino was pretty sure Gaara is extremely private, so to have him open up to her was a big deal, even if it wasn't that much of an opening.

Ino smiled. So maybe she made the right decision. She can handle remaining single if it mean't her friends were happy. So that's what it all came down to. Because in the end, her friends were the ones who were there for her, so to get an opportunity to have even more friends to be able to be comfortable around and trust, she would take it.

After all, friends last forever.

A/N: So I wanted to make a different type of ending where Ino is single. It also has a hint of GaaIno, which I liked. ;) But I didn't want to put it in too much, because the point of this was to have Ino realize friendship is greater than love.

So this was the last chapter. I can't believe I actually had enough inspiration to complete it xD It's been a while since I've done this. I really hope you guys enjoyed it and thank you so so much for coming along and reading this fic and for the amazing reviews. I love all of you! (yes, even you, silent readers, hehehe)