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"He was about to confess...! And you did what?!"
Ino wiped a swelling tear away as she choked on her laughter.
Adohira laid on the Yamanaka girl's bed in a sobbing fetal position, wishing hard enough to disappear out of existence. How humiliating.
Failing, she turned on her back, staring up at the ceiling in despair. Her hands were clasped over her chest, and her legs hung off the edge of the bed. Dried tears stuck on either side of her face, trailing past her hair. She laid like this for what felt like a full hour.
Her last conversation with Naruto replayed over and over, and each time she beat herself up overanalyzing every little detail.
"I gave him the same gift as someone else."
"As Sakura?!"
"No, he said Hinata."
Ino's laughter dwindled away slowly. She sat beside Ado on her bed, wearing her lilac nightgown and puffy floral-patterned bonnet. She was just getting ready to sleep when the Sato girl banged on her window in a fever.
"Ah, well... It's one of those things." Ino mumbled, treading lightly on the subject.
Adohira stared up at the ceiling. Ino's night lamp cast a warm light into the otherwise dark room. The kimono still hugged tightly to her body. The layers of makeup were smudged around her eyes, and her tears stained paths down the powder.
They can be on missions together while I...
"Hehe, don't tell me," Ino cradled her face in her hands. She lightly blushed at the drama oozing from her friend. "You're jealous, Ado?"
She opened her mouth to object, and Ino talked over her, continuing to tease her. "Are you so jealous another kunoichi likes Naruto that you'll finally take your Genin exam?!"
A pillow shaped as a kitten's face smacked Ino right between the eyes, and she fell off the bed with a loud thunk!
"This isn't one of the romance issues you read every month, Ino."
"It's better." Her voice muffled through the pillow. She laid like a starfish.
"I hate you." She whispered although it was far from the truth.
The next morning, the alarm went off shortly before six. Ino's slammed it, and the off button was now hanging on a loose bolt. She shifted over, groggily complaining about the day that had only just started.
"Do you remember, Ado, the day after the sakuras, we went to the village teahouse in our fancy kimonos..? Ah, that was so fun... Let's do it again sometime, okay?"
Curious, the bed was empty, and Ino spoke to no one. The extra blankets Ado slept in were now on Ino's body, tucking her in tightly for an extra layer of comfort.
