Shikamaru,

Today, I spent the day helping out in the flower shop. No missions, no training, just serving customers all day. To use your own word, it can be troublesome.

A bee flew into the shop, and I tried to shoo it away, but it stayed, lazily flying at the window over and over again. I trapped it in a glass, releasing it outside again. It drowsily made it's way up into the sky, and I was suddenly overcome with an image of you, trapped and lazy, and always trying to get to the clouds...

But maybe I'm wrong, and I don't know you at all. When I got your letter, it did freak me out a bit. I always thought you were too docile to do something like that, to write to me and tell me how you feel...

Then I read the letter again, and again and I realised that you don't tell me how you feel, because you don't even know yourself.
But you're not the only confused one.

Sasuke is my dream man, I suppose. But that's what he always will be, won't he? A dream that I can never have, someone who will never live up to the perfect image I have in my mind. And someone who will never love me back.

With you, what you see is pretty much what you get: a genius. A lazy genius. Someone who has proved themselves a loyal friend, and earnt my respect. Someone whom I would trust with my life, and in fact do everytime we go out on a mission.

Temari is, in fact, a very lucky girl.

I never saw it this way before, not until this letter fell through my letter box, and I read your words.

All the times you looked out for me, and protected me. All the times we've spent together over the years, you've always just been... Shikamaru...You've just been a constant in an otherwise unsettled life. Is that what I need?

I'm probably just as confused as you. I can't tell you it's just an infatuation, and you're certainly no dumbass. If anyone is, it's me for not realising how things were, what we could be...

Here i am, surrounded by all these beautiful flowers. Funny, I'd rather be with someone else, amongst clouds...





Ino