Title: All the Words
Author: Sintari
Rating: T
Warnings: None
Summary: Ino always has all the words. Except today. Ino/Sakura.
All the Words
"This mission is a little different," Tsunade was saying. Ino stood at respectful attention before he cluttered desk, listening intently. Unlike Sakura, she hadn't spent enough time around the Hokage to feel entirely comfortable in her forbidding presence.
"For one, you'll have a partner."
Ino felt her eyebrows rise skyward in surprise. Since she had begun taking these "special" missions, she had worked alone. She'd proven time and time again that one unassuming yet extraordinarily pretty blonde could gain access to almost anything she wanted. Ino had discovered early on that she possessed the astonishingly handy ability to make almost anyone underestimate her over and over and over again. A partner might jeopardize these, her most important skills.
"Your targets are twins," the Hokage continued the briefing. "They're thugs and petty thieves who got really damn lucky and stumbled on a collection of summoning jutsu. The jutsu are mostly antiquated and worthless, all except one. They tried to sell the rest of the set to one of our undercover ANBU, but said they'd already found a buyer for the problematic scroll. A buyer out of Sound. Our ANBU couldn't take it by force without blowing his cover, so that's where you come in. These twins are notorious womanizers, but they won't go home unless both of them have a conquest. Ino, that's where I need you to do what you do best, get their attention and get them to bring you back to their apartment. You'll have to distract them in the traditional way. No sleeping draughts because we can't have them know you were the one who replaced the scroll with a message for Orochimaru."
Ino could supply the rest in her head by now. She and her partner would dress and leave the next morning like nothing had happened. When the twins presented Orochimaru's emissary with the message instead of a powerful summoning jutsu, well… it would most likely be the last time they played with the big boys.
"One last thing," Tsunade added, almost in afterthought. "These guys play a little rough. Nothing the two of you can't handle. If it comes to that, Sakura will heal you in the morning."
As if drawn by a summoning scroll herself, Sakura chose that moment to push her way into the office with a "Sorry I'm late, Hokage-sama!" Her entrance completely dismantled Ino's train of thought, which had been obliviously steaming along planning what to wear and what to say and wondering whether she should take a couple of aspirin before she made contact.
"Ino-pig," Sakura greeted her playfully. They'd built up a tentative friendship these last few years.
"Forehead," she found the presence of mind to answer, if a bit weakly.
Tsunade was speaking again, though Ino was barely paying attention. "I've briefed Ino. You two need to leave as soon as you're ready."
"Absolutely not," Ino declared suddenly.
Both the Hokage and Sakura stared at her, shocked. She saw the Hokage's eyes narrow, "There had better be a damn good explanation-"
Ino dared to cut her off. "I won't jeopardize my safety by going on a mission with an inexperienced kunoichi. Sakura can't handle this type of mission. Look at her. With her and her huge forehead along, I'll have a harder time making contact. And that's just for starters."
The Hokage still stared at her, looking downright scary by that point. Ino imagined she saw the beginnings of smoke rising from her nostrils, but she stood her ground. Sakura was running her hands through her short hair like she had always done when she was unsure.
"Ino, this is no time…" Sakura began. But Ino cut her off, too.
"If she goes," she told the Hokage defiantly. "I don't go."
And you need me on this mission, she added silently. It was the closest she had ever come to praying, this small wish that Tsunade would not call her bluff.
"Out, both of you," Tsunade finally said. "Wait in the hall until I call you back."
In the hall, Ino saw Sakura sneak a glance in her direction once, though she mainly looked at the floor. Back when they were kids, when she'd worn her hair long like Ino's, that hunched position had hidden her face from the world. Sakura was a powerful, confident kunoichi now, but Ino had poked at old wounds the way only she could.
"Why?" Sakura had finally asked, trying to keep the note of hurt out of her voice. Ino hadn't answered.
In the end, another kunoichi accompanied Ino on the mission.
On the train, on the way to a dive bar and seduction and rough sex with some guy who would likely die horribly inside of a week, Ino had time to reflect. As a kunoichi, she always had the perfect words for every situation – seduction, misinformation, deflecting suspicion. She'd flatter, simper and lie. More than once she'd gladly played the ditzy blonde idiot in order to maintain a cover story. Ino the Kunoichi had found that she could say anything.
So why was it then, she thought bitterly, that when her best friends simply asked, "Why?" Ino couldn't even bring herself to say, "Because I love you."
END