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The nights are cold. Every breath is sharp and tastes of autumn. Their town is spaced out, appearing large but housing a small population. You have to drive to get to the nearest neighbor if you don’t want to be walking for well over a half hour.
When the leaves turn red and gold and begin to tumble from branches, that’s when business booms. This is a farmers town; filled with long stretches of land ripe with fields, crops and cattle. In the fall, their apple orchards draw in people from all over. The farms become attractions, where visitors can pose in front of hay barrels, buy hot cider and pick pumpkins.
Ino loves the season. She loves the people, because a small town like this isn’t really her cup of tea. She hates having to take a smelly bus to school in the mornings just to get to school. There aren’t enough children around these parts, nor in the surrounding towns, so all of them have to travel the long way to a joint school. It’s painful and gross and she’s just waiting for the day she’s able to get her own car.
So, Ino loves fall. She especially loves hot apple cider and running through the trees with her friends. Her own family doesn’t own the orchard, so it’s not like she gets to do it as often as one might think. Sure, she and her friends have definitely snuck in and out of the different fields and farms all their lives — just a bunch of trouble-making kids looking for something more than their tiny town.
It’s old news. Nothing new.
Until it is.
Sai moved in just two months ago. He’s tall and pale, like a ghost. Quiet, too, but not silent or shy. When he opens his mouth he’s delightfully blunt and capable of shearing a sheep with words alone. He’s incredibly handsome, too; with a sharp jaw and a cute, straight nose. His hair is the darkest shade of black known to man, the very same as his eyes.
She’d kill to have eyelashes like him, or those naturally plump lips.
Ino, who is loud and proud and always enjoys speaking her mind, is tongue-tied around him. He just has to look in her direction and it’s like she’s suddenly turned into Hinata! Stuttering and blushing and unable to hold eye contact for too long — it’s shameful!
She’s never acted like this with Sasuke. Not once. She’s never been afraid to go for what she wants, always throwing herself at the Uchiha and proclaiming her love. Now it feels like all that was just puppy love. Ino isn’t sure what to think. Years of her life she wasted pining after Uchiha Sasuke, and she turns at the drop of a hat when a new boy rolls into town!
Well, maybe this is how it’s meant to be.
Ino doesn’t like being shy, it’s as if she’s a shadow of herself. It’s just not Yamanaka Ino.
So that morning, Ino very promptly shoved Naruto to the side when the other blonde tried to sit next to Sai on the bus. She plopped beside him instead, tossing her long, glossy hair over her shoulder and ignoring Naruto’s annoyed yelp. He flops into the opposite seats and lands squarely across Sasuke and Sakura’s laps. Ino elects to completely ignore the ensuing squabble.
Sai blinks at her, surprised, but then offers a smile. “Hello.”
“Hi.” She manages to say without stuttering. Her hands are firmly in her lap, to prevent her from doing something silly like playing with her hair.
They sit in silence for a few moments as the bus starts up. Ino tries to start a conversation at least six times within the first five minutes but the words keep getting stuck in her throat. Finally, she grows frustrated at her own lack of progress.
How hard is it to ask someone if they’re interested in going on a date? Ask him. Ask him. Ask him!
“Ask me!” She exclaims, startling Sai.
He turns away from where he was gazing out the window, dark eyes wide for only a moment before his expression settles. “Ask you what?”
“Ask me out.”
Wait. That’s not what I meant. I wanted to ask YOU out!
Sai’s brows dip, and the corners of his mouth seem to twitch. He looks amused. “Oh, okay.”
Ino stares. “O..kay?”
He turns to her a little more, so his torso is facing her fully. “Go out with me.”
Ino giggles, twirling her hair between her fingers exactly like she didn’t want to. “Yeah, okay!”
From across the aisle, Sakura rolls her eyes heavenward. “About fucking time.”
She’s been watching Ino pine after Sai since the boy first walked through the school doors. She’s had to listen to poetic rants about the boy over the phone for weeks! Of course, now she’s going to have to suffer through Ino talking about all the gross, romantic stuff they get up to.
Sakura glances over at the new couple, noting the smiles on both of their faces, though one is less noticeable than the other. They look perfectly content. Sakura feels...a bit jealous, actually. Her jade eyes flicker to her seatmate.
Sasuke stares right back at her, causing her to blink in surprise.
“W-What?”
He glances from her to Ino and Sai, then back, his expression twisting in contemplation. “Go out with me.”
From three seats behind, Naruto begins to howl with laughter. “Now THAT’S about fucking time!”
“Shut the hell up.” Shikamaru grunts from beside him. “I’m trying to phase out of existence.”
“Is it working?”
“You’re still here, so no.”