Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
This has actually been in the works for a while. I have a lot of partially written one shots just hanging around on my laptop.
NaruIno is one of my favourite pairings. I just think they'd fit really well together if Naruto could just get over Sakura. The whole loud blonds thing they have going on is pretty nice.
WARNING! There's no lemon or even a lime, but there's a girl/girl exploration scene, if that bothers you. If you want to skip it, go ahead. It's pretty obvious where it starts and it ends after the biggish paragraph.
She really should've known better.
Things were going a little too good for her; events unfolding a little too smoothly.
When Naruto had brought Sasuke back to the village she'd been overjoyed. After all, Sasuke was of the Uchiha Clan and very powerful. But that was all. She'd told herself shortly after he left that she was over her silly infatuation with him. And it had been true until he looked her in the eye as he was marched through the doors of the T&I building for his psych eval. She'd heard of it before; a guy is a complete jerk and doesn't even really acknowledge a girl but she likes him anyway, for years sometimes. She hadn't thought herself so weak-willed until he asked her out later that week. They'd be going to a posh restaurant.
She'd anxiously looked in her closet when she got home that night. She searched high and low but she didn't have anything worthy of a fancy restaurant. She'd turned to Sakura in a panic, hoping her childhood friend would have something she could borrow.
At first Sakura had been worried about Ino's unusual behavior and then angry that Ino was going on a date with her beloved Sasuke. Nevertheless, she was allowed in before Sakura went off to work the nightshift at the hospital. Ino had made a beeline for the pink-haired girl's closet and promptly discovered a hoard of dresses. The pink one? Too girly. The red one? Too conservative. The green one? Too military. The navy one? Too much like her uniform. The yellow one? Too bright. The black one? Too funeral. The purple one? Too much like the clothes she wore everyday. The orange one? Too loud.
There. Charcoal grey, knee length, one shoulder with a sleeve. The material was shimmery, appearing to be almost smoky. Paired with some black heels and her new necklace it was the perfect classy dress for the perfect classy date.
That was how she found herself here. Sitting on the sidewalk in Sakura's dress. Her makeup was perfectly done to accent her own beauty. Her hair, free from the usual ponytail, was in gentle curls to her waist. Her shoes were by her side. After standing in them for an hour she couldn't bare to keep them on. An hour. That's how long she'd been waiting. He wasn't coming; she'd been stood up.
She, Yamanaka heiress, had been stood up by the Uchiha traitor. She buried her face in her hands. How did it come to this? Where were her standards?
"Look at you, all dolled up."
Her head shot up with the speed of a ninja and she recognized the man in front of her. Naruto. She sighed. "Naruto, I'm not in the mood right now." She looked away from him.
She heard him sit down on the curb next to her. "You don't even know what I was going to say." There was silence for a minute. "Sakura told me about your date with Sasuke."
She didn't respond. She heard a sigh and then felt a hand on her shoulder. "You deserve better than him."
"What?" Her eyes had long since welled up and tears had begun to stream down her face. Suddenly Naruto was there to wipe away her tears. When she looked at him she was surprised to see him kneeling in front of her. "Naruto?"
He carefully reached for her ankle, and when she didn't pull away he put her shoes on her. His voice was soothing. "Listen. We both know Sasuke's not coming."
Ino sniffled. "How do you know that?"
"Because while I was on my way home from Ichiraku's I saw him heading into a hotel hand in hand with a girl. He never intended to actually date you. You deserve so much better than that. When I saw him with her, I turned around and came to find you. You needed to know."
Sasuke hadn't really cared about her at all. He was at a hotel with some girl. She was only his backup plan if the hotel girl didn't work out. He just wanted to get her out of her dress and into his bed. "What am I going to do? Sakura's mad at me for going on the date. My dad's mad at me for even talking to him. I can't face them like this, where am I going to go?"
"Ino, we've known each other for years. I first saw your strength in the Chuunin Exams. We've fought together and I respect you as a ninja and a person. I care about you. Come back to my apartment. Let me help you."
She looked at him. His blonde hair, that orange and black outfit, those blue eyes, that earnest expression. "Okay."
Ino was lead into a nice apartment complex, not far from the fancy restaurant where she'd been waiting. After the village had been rebuilt, Naruto was viewed in a different light. No longer was he the Demon Brat; he was a saviour, the Champion of the Leaf. They'd built all new apartment complexes and Naruto owned his own apartment in one of the nicer ones. It had been a gift of gratitude from the Shinobi Council. Even so, she hadn't expected this. She didn't know what she'd been expecting.
Naruto's apartment was 3B, with a sturdy metal door. She'd been to his old place with Sakura, once. This was an upgrade. Then she followed him inside. On the first step in, the floor squeaked. As she was taking off her shoes, there was a squeak every time she moved. Nightingale floors. As soon as she realized that, she adjusted accordingly. Any Shinobi worth their salt should be able to walk on nightingale floors silently. They were also a great defense against intruders. Nobody except an elite assassin would imagine the possibility of nightingale floors in a domestic dwelling. As she looked around, she noticed that Naruto had silently disappeared.
She hadn't known he could walk on nightingale floors.
Not to say that he had no skill, but she knew how badly the Academy had screwed up his education. Plus, Naruto wasn't exactly the subtle type. Then he was on that team with Kakashi and compared to the other genin teams, they didn't learn much. After that, Jiraiya had taken him. She wasn't privy to what the legend had taught Naruto but she'd assumed that it was mostly that new Sage thing that he did and really powerful, frontline jutsus. Apparently she'd been wrong.
She silently padded further into the apartment. It was large, with a separate entrance way and two more doors, which she assumed were the bathroom and bedroom. The kitchen was separated from the rest of the space by a peninsula. The other space was used as a living and dining area. Roughly two feet in front of the peninsula was a large couch. It was longer than a standard couch and pretty wide too. There was a dark gray area rug on the floor and a low table in front of the couch. There was also an armchair off to the side a little with a side table next to it. From the presence of the books, Ino assumed that Naruto did his reading in that chair. Up against the wall, across from the couch, was an entertainment unit with a fair sized television sitting on it. There were stools at the peninsula but there was also a small four-person table not far from the entranceway, which Naruto had placed between the entrance and the two doors. This would presumably make a direct break in and assassination harder. That obstacle could provide precious seconds. All of Naruto's furniture looked to be of high quality, sturdy, and comfortable. The natural colour of the wood complemented his main décor colours of grey and light blue.
Ino approved. She saw Naruto peek his head out from the furthest door and beckon to her. She obediently headed in and saw the blonde's bedroom. The sturdy furniture and colours also flowed into the bedroom, with the wise addition of blackout curtains.
Naruto was standing in front of his dresser rifling through some papers. "Hey, I was just tiding up a bit. I didn't want you to trip over any of my sealing stuff. Anyway," He looked up at her and Ino was struck by the gentleness in his baby blues. "Are you staying the night? You're welcome to stay."
Ino glanced around. There was only one bed in the room, though it could easily fit two people, and she hadn't spotted another bedroom. "Where would I sleep?"
Naruto continued to organize his papers. "You'd take the bed and I'd crash on the couch." He interrupted her before she could argue. "Don't worry about it. The couch is big enough to sleep on comfortably and I offered to let you stay."
Ino gave him a look and then nodded. "If you're sure, then I appreciate the offer and gratefully accept." Really, she did. Like she said earlier, Sakura was mad at her for agreeing to go on a date with Sasuke, her dad was making his irritation known that Ino was even speaking to the traitor and her mother was a gossip that would just try to pry the night's events out of Ino. The offer of sanctuary at Naruto's house meant the world to her right now.
"Great!" Apparently done with his papers, Naruto grinned and opened a drawer full of clothes. He pulled out a shirt and some pants and then looked at her figure, assessing. His eyes lingered on her hips. He pulled a shirt out of the drawer and handed it to her but then hesitated. "Ino, I don't have any pants that would stay on you. I can offer a pair of boxers?"
Looking at him, Ino could believe it. While he was travelling and even since he'd returned to the village, Naruto had bulked up. He'd grown taller and he'd gained muscle everywhere it counted. If he didn't have anything with a drawstring, then Ino knew that whatever he had would fall off her smaller frame.
Ino held the shirt out in front of her. It was probably one of the larger shirts that Naruto had. It fell to mid thigh. "I think I'll be fine with just this."
Naruto raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything about it. "Sure. Well, the bathroom is the other door if you want to change and shower or whatever. While you're doing that, I'm going to change and cook something up for us."
Ino frowned. "You said you were on the way home from Ichiraku's, didn't you eat?"
Naruto blushed at being caught. "Yeah, but you didn't. Besides, I can always eat."
Ino smiled at the thoughtful gesture and headed into the bathroom. "Thank you, Naruto."
She didn't see the warm smile he sent her way,
Ino wondered how she'd ever gotten into this dress. She was pushing the limits of her flexibility trying to get out of the thing. Finally she managed to find the little hook at the top of the dress but she couldn't unclasp it. It was too small and awkwardly placed and her wrists were beginning to hurt. Instead she focused on the zipper and found she could easily get the zipper down. An inch.
It was stuck.
She sighed. There was nothing else for it. She poked her head outside the bathroom door after making sure she was still decent. "Naruto?"
The bedroom door opened and Naruto was just pulling his shirt down over his stomach, giving her a great view of his abs. "Yeah?"
She blinked. "Um, I'm stuck. In my dress. The zipper." She shook her head. "The zipper on my dress is stuck. Could you help me?"
Naruto nodded with a grin. "Sure thing, turn around."
Ino turned and pulled her hair over one shoulder to get it out of his way. She felt his fingers trace the zipper to the top. She did that herself but she never shivered when she did it. "The clasp too, I can't reach it."
She felt his fingers on her skin under the neck of the dress and then they were gone and the dress didn't feel as tight. "Thanks."
His fingers then travelled back to the stuck zipper an inch away. He took hold of the small zipper and pulled. Nothing. He spread his other hand against her upper back in an effort to pull the material taught. Nothing. " It's really stuck, Ino." She chuckled. She felt his fingers against her skin again, under the dress's zipper. He placed a finger on either side of the zipper on the inside and then tugged hard on the zipper. It came free. "It was stuck on some material on the inside," he explained. He kept unzipping the dress. It was a good thing too; it got stuck again with two inches to go. Just enough that she wouldn't be able to shimmy out of it. She planned to complain to Sakura later about the stupid zipper.
She sighed. "Damn it."
"Not enough?"
She shook her head. "Nope, if you could fix that too, it would be great."
She heard him gulp. "Okay, but there's not a lot of zipper left." He tried pulling the zipper together and unzipping it but that didn't work. He hesitated for a moment.
She understood his hesitation. If he tried to pull the material tight like earlier, his thumb would be placed firmly on her bum. If he put his fingers under the zipper, well, he'd be awfully close to her bum. She shrugged her shoulders. "It doesn't matter."
That settled it. His fingers were once again inside her dress on either side of the zipper. She heard his breath catch as he accidentally brushed his fingers against her panties. It resisted for a minute but on the third try the zipper caved to Naruto's will.
He backed off instantly. "Alright. You good?"
Ino was quick to step into the bathroom. Without someone holding onto the dress, the side without the sleeve would flop open and reveal that side of her body. Front and back. And she didn't wear a bra with the dress so… she'd rather Naruto not see that right now. "Yeah. Thanks." She closed the door behind her and let the dress flop open.
At least she could get it off now. She wasted no time wiggling out of it. She quickly pulled on Naruto's shirt. It went halfway down her thighs, like she thought and smelled really fresh. It was a good thing she'd put on clean panties before leaving for Sakura's because she didn't have a spare pair. All stretchy lace and royal purple. They were her favorite so she wore them on her date because they made her feel prettier. She pulled her hair out from under the collar of the shirt. She decided to leave it as it was. There was no need for a ponytail and she liked the curls. Although she did wash her face of the makeup and remove her jewelry. Any jewelry that she wore was simply well made costume jewelry. As a ninja, she didn't get the chance to wear jewelry except on her days off or if a mission required some sort of disguise, so it was just a waste of money to buy nice stuff. She left her necklace, and ring on Naruto's bathroom counter but left her earrings in. Satisfied, she padded out to the kitchen to see what Naruto was making.
As she stood in the door, she saw Naruto just picking up the dishes. "Ino, great timing! I was just headed to the table."
She moved to the side to let him pass and followed him to the table. He set the plates down and she sat. He went back to the kitchen and returned with green tea for them to drink. "I just whipped up something quick. I didn't think to ask you what you wanted. Do you like Oyakodon?"
Ino smiled at the other blond. "You're in luck, it's one of my favorites."
Naruto smiled back. "Great! I hope you enjoy it."
Ino took a bite and chewed thoughtfully. "It's very good, Naruto." She took another. "I didn't know that you could cook."
He shrugged. "Jiraiya couldn't cook very well so I had to learn."
The rest of the dinner was quiet. When the time came to do the dishes, Ino insisted that she wash. As they were washing the dishes, Naruto spoke up. "Hey Ino, can I ask you something?"
Ino shrugged. "Depends what it is."
Naruto looked away for a minute. "Why do you like Sasuke? You don't even know him personally."
Ino thought about her answer. "Well, I imagine it's because of my childhood crush. Even though he was a complete jerk, I still adored him. That went away over the years. Especially considering what he did to me tonight. I know what he's done and that he's a complete bastard. But when he reentered the village and looked at me, my heart stopped. I just had to know if dating him would be like what I used to imagine. So when he asked me out, I jumped at the chance. That kind of thing just sticks with you and you have to experience it, you know?"
Naruto nodded, almost sadly. "I know. You know that damn dress you were wearing?"
Ino huffed. "Yeah. When Sasuke told me about the restaurant I needed a dress so I went to Sakura. She has a closet full of them. That gray one was perfect. Sultry but still classy, even if the damn zipper doesn't work. Not that she'd know, the tags were still on it."
Ino's head shot up in surprise when Naruto let out a bitter laugh. "Yeah, I thought it was perfect too. It was so different from what she usually wore but I thought it brought out her eyes and her hair. We were shopping for a gala and she tried it on. She liked it but couldn't afford it, so I bought it for her. She showed up at the gala that night in a different dress that wasn't as nice as the one I bought her. She told me that Sasuke had given it to her. That was the last straw. I gave up on her that day."
Ino had tears in her eyes. Everyone knew how in love with Sakura Naruto had been. How much had she put him through to make him give up on her? "Oh, Naruto. I'm so sorry. I'll throw out that stupid dress!" She could only image the pain it caused him to see her in it. She threw her arms around him in a hug, soapy hands and all.
Naruto's arms were quick to wrap around her waist. "Don't. Seeing you in that dress tonight, you looked better in it than she ever did. And I doubt that Sakura would ever let me help her with a stuck zipper like you did, even if she had to cut the dress off. You deserve the dress. Keep it."
"Alright." She smiled up at him. "I'll wear it in front of her just for you."
He laughed. "I'd like that."
After the dishes, they sat on the couch and watched TV together, more comfortable with each other after their heart to heart.
Naruto kept on glancing over at Ino. She sat with her legs up but tucked to the side. The shirt was dangerously high on her thighs. When she'd moved, Naruto wasn't sure whether or not he'd seen a flash of purple. Ino noticed him. "What?"
Naruto quickly looked away. "Nothing! I-Um…" He sighed and looked back at her. "Are you wearing anything under that?" He nodded to the shirt.
Ino couldn't help but blink at the question. "Yes?"
"I-I thought I saw-" Naruto coughed, cheeks flushed red. "Never mind. Do all girls sleep in just a shirt? I mean, I offered you boxers to wear; you're wearing something under that shirt so it would be like shorts. Why just the shirt?"
Ino frowned thoughtfully. "I never thought about it that way. I just thought of it as wearing your underwear." She giggled. "Oh well. I'm pretty comfortable like this though. I used to wear one of Shika's shirts to bed so it's familiar, I guess." The blonde stretched out on the couch with her head on one armrest and her legs thrown over Naruto's lap. Some show about a girl and her boss was on, and it was pretty good.
She didn't notice the look Naruto gave her. He looked at her, and then to the hem of the shirt, which allowed him a teasing view of her purple panties at this angle, then to her smooth thighs, then to the smooth calves resting on his legs. He decided to avoid a possible argument and spread his arms over the back of the couch. "Did you shave your legs for this date because of the dress?" He, unlike most civilian males, had spent long periods of time in small spaces with women. He knew their legs weren't naturally smooth.
Ino had to laugh at the unexpected question. "No, I didn't. I went to Kurenai about hair removal a few years ago. I was old enough for long-term undercover missions. What if I had to work in one of those teahouses or as an escort? I didn't know how to go about it on a mission. She took me to the Shuriken Spa. I don't know if you've heard of it but it's a personal care service for ninjas, not just kunoichi either. You want it, they'll do it. Anyway, they deemed me fit for the procedure and used a modified fire jutsu to burn all the hair follicles in select areas and then a medic nin healed the burns. It was painful and expensive but worth it. I never have to waste time on shaving."
Naruto's eyebrows were well above their natural position. "Wow, I didn't know that women went to such lengths for beauty. I understand more than most guys, but still…"
Ino raised her head a little to look at him. "What? What do you mean, you understand?"
The ninja looked sheepish. "Well my genjutsu is terrible but my talents lie in illusions of a different manner." He sighed in preparation. "You've heard of my Sexy Jutsu?"
Ino frowned but nodded.
"Have you ever seen it?"
When Ino shook her head, Naruto transformed.
There was a naked girl sitting further down the sofa with smoke coving the essentials. Her long, blonde hair was in gently curling pigtails, Her whisker marks were very faint, and she was very pretty. Ino's attention wasn't focused on those things. When Naruto transformed, Ino felt her legs, which had rested on Naruto's, drop as if his legs had gotten smaller. That wasn't possible. The henge was an extremely basic genjutsu that was visual only. It would not affect the sense of touch. There were more advanced versions but again, none of those had any impact on the sense of touch. "I don't understand, it feels like your legs got smaller."
"That's because they did." The voice was not the same one that asked if she'd seen his jutsu. It was a higher, sweeter, feminine voice. Naruto batted Ino's legs off his…her lap, and waited until Ino sat up next to…her. "When I was in the Academy, nobody wanted to teach me. The teachers mostly tried to sabotage my progress. While all of you learned that the henge was a genjutsu, I was taught that it was a physical transformation. Luckily, I have huge chakra reserves and a fox demon sealed inside me. I was never thankful for him until I learned about my henge. Fox demons specialize in trickery, illusions, and shape shifting. Thanks to him, I was able to become a ninja. His shape shifting talent allowed me to make a physical transformation. So every time I do a henge, I alter my own body. My transformations affect all the senses and they are not easily disrupted. As such, it's a very valuable skill for certain types of missions. That's why I understand."
Ino was nodding, but was paying more attention to the female body before her. This was fascinating. She leaned forward and slowly reached to feel the long blonde hair. It was soft and silky, much like her own. Girl hair, much different than Naruto's normal hair. She moved on in her examination. She moved to her knees right beside her fellow ninja for a closer look.
Naruto let her.
She took hold of the blonde girl's chin and turned her head either way. She had a narrow jaw, as Naruto did, but it was softer and less defined than his was. Her eyebrows were dainty and well groomed with a slight arch. Her blue eyes were the same shade and shape as Naruto's but the lashes were longer and darker. That made all the difference. Those eyes could look sweet and innocent or seductive. The girl's nose was straight and proportional to her face. Her lips were pink and looked soft, which Ino confirmed by running her thumb over them. The bottom was slightly fuller than the top and her mouth had that coveted cupids bow shape. Even her eyes were different. Smaller, pierced with silver studs. Ino's gaze lowered. Her eyes flicked to Naruto's face again. "May I?"
Receiving a nod, she let her hands trail down to the girl's shoulders. They were not narrow but neither were they broad. Ino could feel the muscles twitch as she trailed her fingers across the skin and she let out a little giggle. She let her fingers wander down the girl's left arm to her hand and examined her delicate fingers. They were very feminine looking with no evidence of Naruto's callouses. Her explorations lead her back up the arm and toward the girl's breast. She hesitated another moment before Naruto made a sound of consent. Ino sucked a breath between her teeth and softly skimmed her fingers along the outer edges of the blonde's breasts. When they held firm, she boldly cupped them in her hands. The smoke easily disappeared. Ino felt the blonde's nipples harden against her palms. "I wondered if there was anything under the smoke. It's interesting that this body is so detailed, amazing really." She gave both nipples a little tweak and continued her journey south. The other girl's stomach muscles contracted under her touch and she grinned. Ino paused to tickle the girl's ribs and to admire her waist, which looked very similar to Ino's own. Ino skirted around the other blonde's nether regions for the moment and instead focused on her legs as she moved to the floor for better access. Her hips were curvy but proportionate to her slim body. Her thighs were lean and toned, she delicately traced the inside of the girl's knee, and her calves were tanned and shapely. No hair, like her own legs. In fact, the blonde's legs also looked similar to Ino's but without the unusual tan lines that came with ninja life. She tickled the small and elegant looking foot when she came to it and laughed as Naruto squirmed. She then allowed her hands to wander up the inside of those golden thighs. When Ino came to the blonde's hidden lady parts, she leaned forward and blew the smoke away. She heard Naruto's breath hitch but heard no sign of protest and ignored it. She marveled at the sheer detail of his disguise and the medical phenomenon that was Naruto's anatomically correct physical transformation. She didn't think twice when she leaned forward and ran her finger over the soft pink flesh. It slipped between the lips and she felt the fluid.
Naruto's back arched and she gasped.
Ino blinked owlishly up at the girl. "Naruto?"
The girl let out a shaky breath. "I feel sensations as if this were my real body. Is that what it feels like when we touch you?"
Ino's cheeks were flaming and her hands flew away from the body in front of her. "I'm so sorry! Why didn't you tell me you could feel to that extent? I would have stopped."
"I was curious," he mumbled, "but perhaps I should've stopped you."
"Why?"
"Ino you felt how wet I am. When I turn into myself, that arousal won't just vanish." He sounded more embarrassed than anything.
"Oh." Her eyes widened. "Oh!" So he'd be visibly excited when he changed back. "Um, go ahead. I mean, it's natural and we're in your house anyway."
Naruto flushed and turned back into himself. His hands were in his lap. He was attempting to hide his, from what Ino saw from her prime spot on the floor between his legs, rather sizable erection. She couldn't help but stare.
Naruto groaned on the couch, causing her gaze to flick up and meet his. He spoke slowly in a voice that was almost level, "Ino, I need you to get up. Right now you're wearing my shirt, and I can see your panties, and you look like you're going to give me a blowjob, and none of that is helping."
Ino's eyes lowered and she bit her lip. Her hands went to the hem of the shirt and lowered it until she was decent. She hesitated before she rose and sat in her previous spot on the couch.
The other blonde shakily got to his feet and adjusted himself. "I'm going to get a shower." With that, he retreated to the bathroom.
She couldn't help her curiosity. She wondered if what they said was true? She didn't know Naruto's sexual history but they were calling him a god. Had he slept with that many people? She was well aware that he was gorgeous with exotic coloring. Maybe the rumors were derived from hopeful, lusty admirers. But then, she'd heard a rumor that he'd agreed to pose nude for a magazine, along with some of Konoha's best. She kind of wanted to find out if all of the rumors were true.
More than kind of. She wanted to know him as well as she knew herself. Body and mind, Naruto was a beautiful person and she wanted him as her boyfriend. Especially after a night like the one she'd had.
And that jutsu! It was incredible! He could actually transform himself into a woman. From a medical standpoint it was groundbreaking! She wondered how far the transformation went; did Naruto's center of balance shift, his chemical makeup, his genetic code? If Naruto slept with a man while that jutsu was active, could he get pregnant?
He could make a fair amount of money if he let the medics study the jutsu.
… Then again, she had some medical training. Maybe she should just study it herself.
And done! One down, so many more to go!