A/N: a random Sai-Ino oneshot that came across my mind. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the character mentioned in the story
After a mission against a master of advance genjutsu, Sai couldn't seem to escape the trance and got trapped permanently inside his nightmares. He was rescued by Ino using her mind jutsu
Sai woke up from his long nightmare, with a pant. Nothing that he saw seems real nor fake. Everything spins and blurs before resurfacing and it make his head throb. Clutching his temple he tries to sit up, but the throbbing got worse, he didn't even notice the hands on his chest pushing him back to the bed.
"Not so fast" a feminine voice said, still don't have the courage to open his eyes Sai just nod. "You were out for a day after... after i went inside your head"
"What?"
"I'm sorry. You were so out of it and nothing we did worked so the Hokage made me went inside... i, i saw everything"
"What do you mean everything?" he squint to force himself to look at her, but the lights were too much "Nggh"
"Sorry, i guess you haven't adjust to the lights yet" Ino turn off the side lamp
"What time is it?"
"Late"
"Then what are you still doing here?"
"I wanted to apologize in person"
"It's... It's okay. I don't mind sharing my memory of Shin with you"
"No, Sai. It's... I saw more than just Shin. I saw everything"
"What do you mean everything, that's all there is to it, Shin and Danzo and Root. Nothing else is there"
"I'm so sorry" her voice begin to tremble
"Why are you.. Ino?" he ask curious, but she wouldn't answer him. Instead just put both her palms to cover her face. Sai had read in a one of his self-help book once that when a friend is in need of comfort, physical contact work best. So he decided to follow the book, he pull her into a hug.
To his surprise, Ino move her hands from her face to cling onto his hospital gown and proceed to sob, wetting his shirt. She mumbled something.
"I couldn't hear you clearly"
Ino pulls away just enough for her to look at him dead in the eyes, gripping the fabric tighter causing Sai to lean in while she gathers the courage to repeat what she just said. "I saw your family. Blurs of them, but i saw faces"
"Tha-that's not possible. I don't remember them at all.. My memory of them were.."
"Someone from my family did this to you Sai. You were 4 years old. You were just a child"
"We all were. All roots members are"
"Oh, for god's sake Sai. Stop it, i don't care about that"
"Then what do you care about? To know, i mean"
Ino take a deep breath before releasing her grip, bowing her head, refusing to meet his questioning gaze. Sai doesn't understand anything, he's not even angry "How are you feeling"
"I had a headache a while ago, but it seems to have gone away now"
"How do you feel?"
"Isn't that the same question?"
Ino shake her head "No" she put a palm on his chest "how do you feel"
Heat crept to his neck "Uhh..."
"Aren't you upset?"
"Why would i be upset when you're with me?"
Ino's gaze quickly meet his, eyes widen and face flushed. Ino pulls back the hand she had on him "I mean, about me being inside your head and seeing things i shouldn't"
"Ino" he say after a while
"Yes?"
"Tell me about what you saw? Something i couldn't remember"
"I-i didn't see much. I swear! It was an accident, i quickly got out-"
"Then can you go back in?"
"What?"
"Go back into my head. I'm just, curious"
"If you want"
"Really?"
Ino nods. He fix his position to sit up straight on the bed, legs crossed and Ino move to do the same in front of him. "Are you sure? It might be painful"
"I'm sure"
Ino did some hand seal before putting her hand on his temple "Ready when you are"
Sai just nod and close his eyes.
When he open them he's standing in the dark. He was alone, until he felt a hand on his and Ino was there "I transfer both our consciousness inside your mind." she explain
Suddenly the scenery around them changed. Shin was running around with a 6 year old Sai. "I've seen this" he say "I want to go further"
"Remember the moment you woke up the first time"
"In the pitch black room"
Suddenly the scenery change again. It's dark. Ino recognize the room as the old interrogation room, the one for S-class rogue criminals, the scariest room in her opinion. And there was Sai, laying on the floor, a 4 year old Sai. Ino have to fight her tears from running. She felt his hand squeeze hers, his gaze fixed on his younger self
"It's all. I don't remember any further" he sigh
"If you really..."Ino fights her broken voice "want to see. There is a way"
Sai just look at her waiting for her to continue
"The jutsu of the Yamanaka clan. It can't erase memories. Just block them, make them detach from the rest of the consciousness."
"Then how do we get to see it?"
"Promise you won't hate me Sai" she pleads, looking away
"I-ino...I promise"
Ino has her fingers form a seal from each sides of Sai's temple "Fuuin no kaihou!"
Then a blonde man enter the room. Little Sai was crying for her mother now. He has a mother. The blonde man sigh and shake his head, seems to be battling his conscience
Sai felt weight on his side and see Ino dropped to one knee "t-tou-san" she gasp in between quiet sob
Little Sai is now looking terrified and screaming but then he stopped completely, falling unconscious. "More"
The scenery went to when he was kidnapped.
Sai was playing in what seems to be a tiny backyard of a house. Then there's a scream heard from inside the house "Nee-chan!" Little Sai run inside
"No, go away! Don't go there!" A girl that seems to be around 10 years old pull little Sai away
"B-but. Was that Kaa-san?! Nee-chan i'm scared!"
"I-i know... Me too" she starts to cry quiet tears
"Your debt has past it's due Takao. And i see you've failed to deliver everything you've promised"
"D-danzo-sama please. I beg you, don't hurt my family"
"Hng. This? A family? You and your wife is living in a dump in the middle of nowhere, no affiliation to any village since nobody wanted a couple of ex-rogue ninjas. This is not a family Takao" Danzo correct him
"J-just please-" and a kunai went across his throat. Sai's grip tighten
"N-nee.." little Sai cry
"Shh..." But she was too late two ROOT members already pulled the two children from their hiding place
"Danzo-sama. I found children"
"Hmm? Family ka?" he gaze to Takao and his wife's dead body "Bring them here"
"There's a little girl and a boy Danzo-sama"
"P-please... We-we" the big sister stutter
"I have no use for the girl, kill her. Bring the boy along, he'll be trained to be the next generation of ROOT" he say simply before turning around "And burn everything before you leave. I don't want any loose ends" he add without turning around
Ino move to hug Sai tightly as the little girl scream.
And they're back at the hospital room.
Ino is still clutching on Sai. He's doing the same. Now both crying "Don't hate me" she murmur from the fabric
"I could never. And... arigato"
Ino pull away after a while "you're welcome" her face still close. Her puffy eyes and trembling words are most unusual, the expression she has make his chest twist and tighten, unpleasant turn in his stomach and spasm of his muscles occurs everytime he hears a sharp breath between light sobs. He wipe a tear from her left cheek.
"Why are you crying"
"Because i feel sad"
"But why would you be sad?"
"Oh god, Sai. I know you're clueless about these kind of things but can you at least not-"
"Are you sad because of me?" he cuts in "because i was sad?"
"Y-yes. I feel pained"
"But i thought your mind transfer jutsu could only make you see, not feel"
"I'm not feeling pained because of the jutsu. I feel pained because... you were in pain"
Sai didn't miss the blush that appeared on her cheeks. He isn't familiar with the feeling of having someone cry for him, and care for him. "Ino...Arigato"
"You already thanked me"
"Iie. The first time was for showing me my past."
"Then what was the second one for?"
"For crying for me"
"You're...welcome?"
"Is.. it okay if i kiss you?" he suddenly ask
Ino's face turn hot "W-what? Wh-why wo-would you a-ask something like that?"
"I just really want to-" he lean in
His mouth gaze over her lips before lingering. Their breaths mingle inbetween the little space between their faces. He captured her lips with urgency, shocked by the new feeling, he deepened the kiss by pulling her body closer. Then he heard her whimper and a soft moan. From previously reading one of Kakashi's books he knows he's doing something right.
"Ino, marry me" he pulls away abruptly
"W-what?"she smack him on the head "Y-you can't j-just ask someone that question k-kono a-ahou!"
"Hm? Why not? Shouldn't we ask someone we love if they want to marry us beforehand?"
"Nggh" Ino cross her arms "It's a very serious question to ask someone Sai. Y-you need to think it o-over, and make sure y-your relation sh-ship is ready for something l-like that" she fights her stuttering, refuse to look vulnerable. How did the situation suddenly turn like this? she thought
"Well, do you not love me then?" he ask innocently
Ino swears the roof felt like it just fell on her. She stands up, puffing her cheeks. She knows he couldn't have possibly understand a thing about romantic relationship let alone the concept of marriage. She cares deeply about him, but she could never spend the rest of her life with him... not as his lover anyway.
She didn't notice that she was just standing while looking at him funny until he spoke again "Ino?"
"Get some rest, see you around" she quickly say before running out of the room. For some reason she start feeling stupid, like she just made a mistake.
"PIG!" Sakura holler her name from behind her, but she's not in the mood for her antics today, so she just walk ahead "Pig?" she heard her again. Then a hand on her elbow "Hey Pig, why are your eyes puffy? Have you been crying?" she ask softly, something she rarely hears from her frienemy.
"Not today, forehead" she sigh
"Ino, It's just... I-I've never seen you cry in my life, except after... You're the strongest girl i know, you inspired me to be confident and mentally tough y'know"
"R-really?" Ino has forgotten the old Sakura since now she's hailed as the strongest kunoichi alive, she's even somewhat immune to Sasuke now, her old weak spot. That happened after marriage she had guessed.
"Yeah. You know, like it or not, i'm still your best friend. You can tell me what's bothering you, i won't judge"
"I..."
"Come on Pig!" she pulls her into her office four doors down where they were standing "We'll have some privacy here"
"Wow, your own office huh?" she muse
"Yeah, since i got promoted to head of staff they give me this space to stack paperworks basically"
"I'm very proud of you forehead"
"Thanks pig. Now stop changing the subject, and tell me what's bothering you. I'll make some coffee"
"You have your own coffee machine in your office?"
"Yeah, wedding present from Shishou" she shrug "Black?"
"As usual" she nods "Are you sure no one will die when you neglect your patients to have a girlfriend talk?"
"Nah" she hands her her coffee "I'm on break, Shizune can handle things on her own for half an hour. No one is awake at this hour anyway. Which will be my first question. You don't have a shift today, so what are you doing here this late?"
"I-i just came back from a mission"
"Yeah i know, around 10 hours ago. Land of waves, master of genjutsu that perfected the limited tsukuyomi. You were the only team member that wasn't injured, you're not even a part of the team that went, you're part of the rescue team" she points out
"You saw Shikamaru and Chouji?" she assume
Sakura nods "They mentioned something about you had to use your jutsu to release Sai from the tsukuyomi. Is that what this is about?" she ask after seeing change in her expression "Why do you seem so upset. Did that idiot Sai said something stupid? He called you ugly didn't he? Well-"
"He ask me to marry him" Ino say quietly
"W-W- EEEEEHHHH?!" Sakura made a comical face "W-what? Why? H-how? What brought that up? What did you say?"
"N-nothing, i got out of there" she puff her cheeks "It's not like he understood what he was saying"
"Eh? What he was saying?"
"Ngg, he ask me if i love him"
"I- i didn't realize your relationship was-"
"There is no relationship! That's the thing, we were never a thing. I've never thought of him anything more than a replacement for Sasuke in team 7"
"Really now?" she sigh
"N-not untill i went inside his head. I, saw, his suffering, and... i cried for him. B-but that doesn't mean anything, anyone would cry when they see his tragic past!" She defend "I guess, he is kind of cute" she smile sheepishly
"Get serious pig! This is not a matter you should decide just based on looks" she take a sip of her coffee "How about his capability to stand all your nagging?"
"Hey! I don't nag!"
"Sure you don't. Y'know you should also think of him becoming the father of your child. Urgh, i can't even imagine it!" Sakura shudder"
"Why not?"
"Dumb ol' Sai? A father? Pfft, right... Your children would better off be raised by a statue, just as emotionally dense y'know"
"Hey!"
"What?
"Sure he can't be that bad. Can he?"
"Oh he can. Glad those insufferable missions i had to go trough are over. He keeps bringing up Naruto's privates, it got old, but at first it was very uncomfortable for all of us"
"I mean, it's not his fault! He was trained to be that way, to have no emotion to distract him from missions. And he was thought that his life worth only as a tool and to be prepared to die without leaving a trace of proof that he ever existed. He-"
"He's?" Sakura pry
"He doesn't know any better"
"You're right. He couldn't have lied or masked what he's beginning to feel Ino, if he said he wants to marry you, i have no doubt he really does regardless of his knowledge about the matter, he doesn't have any reason to say it otherwise. If you want to twist my words, you might as well say that he's innocent, almost like... a little child"
"B-but"
"Marry him, don't marry him... decide later. Just go back in there smack him across the head and tell him to take you out on a date before bringing up anything funny like marriage" Sakura put her empty mug on the coffee table, and walk to her desk "Give the guy a chance"
"I thought you said.."
"That's my opinion of him. Not yours... get your own, pig"
"Thanks forehead"