Boxing It In

"Boxing
It In"

By:
DarkSeductress

Summary:
Unrequited love at it's best. Ino learns from Gaara to not "box it
in".

Pairings:
onesided Ino+Sakura, onesided Gaara+Lee, mentions/hints of Sakura/Lee, past
Sakura/Naruto, and possibly Sakura/Sasuke(depending on how you interpet it).

Spoilers:
Possibly anything from current Japanese Anime and up to Part 2 of current Manga

Written
for naruto_100 livejournal community challenge: Boxes

Bonuses:
Ino, food, snakes

Word
Count: 908

style='mso-tab-count:1'> Ino watched Sakura and Lee spare
forlornly. She always wished she'd be the one to capture Sakura's attention.
Ino figured that person would be lucky. But that person had never been her.

style='mso-tab-count:1'> style='mso-spacerun:yes'> At first it had been Sasuke. Dark, handsome,
mysterious Sasuke, who had only two people on his mind Naruto and Itachi.
Sasuke viewed Naruto as some sordid rival to compete against. Sasuke viewed
Itachi as a demon he longed to caress as much as strangle. Ino didn't know if
that was sad or sick. He was always blind to Sakura, but then again maybe he
saw more than anyone realized. Maybe Sakura was another demon he was running
from.

style='mso-tab-count:1'> Then for a brief fleeting moment,
once Sasuke had left, it had been Naruto. Ino mused maybe him because he didn't
remind her of snakes and near-deaths and betrayl. Maybe it was because Naruto
was a link to Sakura's past, a chain to her innocence she had lost when Sasuke
had left her on that stone bench with tears still flowing from her eyes. For
whatever reasons, it had been Naruto, for a brief while anyway. It didn't last.
There was too much pain and Sasuke standing between them.

style='mso-tab-count:1'> Now Ino was convinced it was Lee.
Fuzzy-browed, loud, spandex-wearing Rock Lee. Kononha's Grean Beast. Ino knew
before Sakura knew that he would be next. It was how Sakura always bought him
flowers. How she always made sure he ate and rest, no matter how hard he wanted
to train. How she then began to train with him, like now.

style='mso-tab-count:1'> So Ino watched morosely as Sakura
planted a firm foot in the ground, shattering the terrain with her might and
how Lee gracefully flipped away from the danger, awed by the flower's beauty
and strength.

style='mso-tab-count:1'> Ino didn't notice the person walking
behind her, until the shadow loomed over her head. The shadow held a gourd,
which only meant it was one person.

style='mso-tab-count:1'> Ino started to rise out of respect,
"Kazekage-"

style='mso-tab-count:1'> Gaara waved her off and joined her
on the ground, "Gaara."

style='mso-tab-count:1'> They sat in silence that was
surprisingly comfortable. Ino had heard the horror stories from Shikamaru and
Naruto about who this man had been, but now....she could clearly feel the
difference.

style='mso-tab-count:1'> "She's beautiful." Ino
found herself saying as Sakura smirked at Lee, her chest heaving.

style='mso-tab-count:1'> "Hai. So is he." It was
spoken in a quiet tone, that wasn't as dead as Ino remembered. She peered at
him curiously.

style='mso-tab-count:1'> Gaara shrugged, un-shouldering his
gourd with care and setting it aside. Ino had a feeling, he wasn't a man used
to circling his thoughts. He was direct.

style='mso-tab-count:1'> "I watch her...them a lot.
Always. She looks so happy."

style='mso-tab-count:1'> Gaara nodded subtly, "Sometimes
we must be patient."

style='mso-tab-count:1'> "Why?" Ino met his stare
head on, the smudges around his eyes weren't as dark.

style='mso-tab-count:1'> "For them to see us."

style='mso-tab-count:1'> Ino's eyes narrowed, "Yeah.
Right." If Sakura hadn't seen her in all this time, she doubted it would
happen.

style='mso-tab-count:1'> "He said once," Gaara's
eyes flickered to Lee, who was dodging a punch, "That the flower blooms
twice."

style='mso-tab-count:1'> Ino didn't bother to correct him.
Lee had said lotus.

style='mso-tab-count:1'> Instead, Ino scoffed, "Well, in
that case, I've missed my chance. That flower's bloomed quite a few
times."

style='mso-tab-count:1'> Gaara's lips tilted upward at her
sarcasm, "No. Only once. For them both."

style='mso-tab-count:1'> Ino raised an eyebrow at that.

style='mso-tab-count:1'> Gaara continued, "Uchiha was
the first. She lost him. Haruno has been searching for something since. She
hasn't found it. She's in transition."

style='mso-tab-count:1'> "And fuzzy-brows?" Ino
watched Gaara's lips twitch again.

style='mso-tab-count:1'> "It's only ever been her."

style='mso-tab-count:1'> "What has she been searching
for?"

style='mso-tab-count:1'> "You. Love." It was stated
so matter-a-factly.

style='mso-tab-count:1'> It ruffled Ino's feathers,
"What would you of all people know about love?"

style='mso-tab-count:1'> Gaara's eyes narrowed dangerously,
" I had an illusion once. It was wretched from me. That is when I learned
love is not pretty. It is not a storybook. It hurts. So I took the word, the
meaning, the feeling and I boxed it away. I didn't want that pain again."
Gaara looked away from her and paused.

style='mso-tab-count:1'> Ino swallowed thickly, realizing she
had crossed a line. This man was Kazekage. He was a known psychotic murderer.
She'd better tread lightly.

style='mso-tab-count:1'> Gaara continued, but Ino noticed his
gaze lingered on Lee's moving form, "I realized there is a thin line
between love and hate. They are interchangeable. I hated him once. I wanted to
kill him...for making me feel so many things and for confusing me..."

style='mso-tab-count:1'> "And now?" Ino's voice was
barely above a whisper.

style='mso-tab-count:1'> "I watch and wait."
Gaara's eyes flickered over her again, "Like you."

style='mso-tab-count:1'> Ino watched Sakura lead Lee to their
lunch, "I tried once. To box it away. It didn't work."

style='mso-tab-count:1'> "It doesn't," was his
simple reply.

style='mso-tab-count:1'> "So....I just wait...."

style='mso-tab-count:1'> "Yes."

style='mso-tab-count:1'> "Don't try to box it
again?"

style='mso-tab-count:1'> "No."

style='mso-tab-count:1'> "Okay...."

style='mso-tab-count:1'> Gaara rose, his eyes flickering to
Lee one last time before strapping his gourd back on. He turned to walk away.

style='mso-tab-count:1'> "Gaara-sama?"

style='mso-tab-count:1'> He barely glanced at her over his
shoulder, which was well because tears had gathered at the corners of Ino's
eyes. Her voice was thick as she whispered, "Thank you."

style='mso-tab-count:1'> He merely blinked before continuing
on his way.

style='mso-tab-count:1'> Ino wondered how a man that was so
full of hate and death could understand the pain she felt. Gaara was right.
Boxing it in wasn't going to help. She would accept it. She would wait. Wait
for Sakura to finally see her.