Title: Message in a Scroll
Pairing: ShikaIno
Summary: Shikamaru is hurt badly, but refuses to let Ino into the room to see him. At least, not under the current circumstances…
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
Chapter 2
Walking through the threshold and shutting the door, Ino managed to make it to the dining room table before she collapsed onto one of the chairs. Her limbs shook from the physical exertion they'd had to endure, and all she could do was ride out the sensation until it subsided a few moments later.
Knowing that she wouldn't be able to move properly for several more minutes, she grabbed the scroll Choji had given her at the hospital and sat it on the table in front of her. Getting a better look at it, she could now see that it was coded. Those types of scrolls were usually only used by the Intelligence units, or for deciphering messages from other villages, much like when Suna and other allies sent them confidential information. By the markings on the scroll, Ino knew that it was not an official request from Lady Tsunade, so that could only mean it was for personal use by someone with access to them.
Her suspicions were confirmed when she used her chakra to break the seal. As soon as she opened the scroll, words immediately began appearing on the originally blank paper. After waiting for the message to completely appear, she brought it closer to her. When she read the first sentence, there was no doubt in her mind who it was from.
"To my troublesome Ino,
I'm sorry. Even though I'm writing this before you get here, I know that what I'm going to end up saying to you is going to upset or hurt you. I know things may not make sense right now, but they will in time. Until then, I need you to listen to me, and try to be patient.
As I'm sure you've noticed, I'm writing this on a coded scroll. Given the circumstances, I didn't have a choice. Even in your exhaustion you're hard-headed, and this is the only way I can ensure that you don't do something reckless.
So I have something I need you to do, and just so you know, completing the task is the only way the rest of this letter will decode itself. In the oven, you'll find a plate of food. If my timing is correct, it should still be heated.
Eat it.
Come back to the scroll when you're finished."
Ino looked up from the letter in obvious confusion. Shikamaru- who she knew to be seriously injured- went to the trouble of obtaining a scroll and writing her a message, just to tell her to eat something? She wasn't sure why he would do that when he could have just talked to her when she got to his room earlier. Feeling herself getting frustrated again, she closed her eyes for a few seconds and let out a low groan before opening them. Looking down at the message again, she skimmed over it once more before standing slowly. Her body was responding better now, but not well enough that she could ignore how sore she was. The mission she'd just gotten back from had been so intense that every single person in her squad had suffered at least one injury, including herself.
Making her way to the kitchen, she lightly brushed her hand against her thigh where a particularly nasty gash was and winced as even that small amount of contact caused irritation. In her haste to get to Shikamaru, she had all but forgotten about it. Now that she was calm, it was easier to feel every ounce of pain and fatigue.
She walked over to the oven and opened it. True to Shikamaru's word, there was a plate with a lid on the top shelf. The oven itself was still slightly warm, letting her know that the food was placed in there only recently. She suspected Choji had been the one to do it, since she was told that Shikamaru had been taken to the hospital two days before and had been on strict bed rest.
As she placed the plate on the counter and took the lid off, she felt her mouth begin to water as she gazed at the steamy meal. She hadn't eaten since the day before, and seeing the food in front of her was enough for her to realize just how hungry she was. She ate faster than she could ever remember eating, and by the time she was finished, she felt better than she had in days.
Deciding to leave the dirty dishes for later, she walked back over to the table and sat down in front of the scroll once again. She knew from experience that a majority of personal coded scrolls were decoded by recognition of the recipient's chakra. However, there were many different ways to specialize a coded scroll so that specific demands had to be met before the message was conveyed. Only a select few ninja knew how to manipulate the code to that degree, and Ino was not the least bit surprised that Konoha's genius strategist was one of them. She knew that she had to obey everything he said in one message before she would be allowed to read the next one. Judging from the specifics in the first message, she had no doubt that Shikamaru was purposefully trying to keep her away, and she was determined to figure out why.
Moving her hand to the bottom of the first message, she concentrated a small amount of chakra into her palm. Words began to appear just as they had when she'd originally opened the scroll, and she waited a few moments before reading the next part.
"If you're reading this, then it means you were paying attention. You must be tired if you're willing to actually follow instructions coming from me."
Ino huffed indignantly and she felt her face heat up.
"And don't get offended. You know it's true."
Ino scoffed at the side note, but otherwise chose to ignore it and continued reading.
"Anyway, I'm glad you ate something. It was weighing heavily on my mind knowing that you probably haven't had a decent meal since you left for the mission.
Now I have something else I'm asking you to do. Go upstairs and take a shower. And before you start, I already know what you're thinking…"
"Shikamaru…" She growled as she read. Not that she hadn't already planned on taking one, but having her injured boyfriend- the one that refused to let her into his room- ask her to take a shower was extremely offensive, in her opinion.
"I know what you're thinking, and just imagining the look on your face is giving me a headache. Tsk…troublesome.
You just got back from a mission, so aside from eating the next logical step would be a shower. So when you're done, come back and read the rest.
P.S.
I love you. You don't smell. I'm saying this now because I don't want to get chewed out for it later.
The message ended there, and Ino let out a loud exaggerated sigh and ran her fingers through her tangled, messy hair. Leave it to Shikamaru to anger her and compliment her at the same time. Deciding to quickly complete the task, she stood and walked up the stairs and into the bedroom they both shared. She grumbled to herself as she walked into the bathroom and undressed, and her ramblings didn't stop even as she started the shower and stepped under the spray of warm water.
She winced when the water ran over the cut on her hip and took a step back. She grabbed one of the small towels from the rack behind her and held it under the water before bringing it back and gently rinsing it over the injury, wincing occasionally. She could have healed it before she even got in the shower, but healing a cleaned cut was easier and more sanitary than healing one that wasn't. Considering her chakra was still dangerously low, she opted for whatever helped the most.
Finishing with that, she untied her hair and proceeded to wash it before doing the same to her body. She made quick work of the shower, not wanting to stay in there too long. Not only was she curious to read the next segment of the message so she could see Shikamaru, she also didn't want to get too comfortable. She already felt dead on her feet, and being under the spray of warm water and having the scent of vanilla shampoo wafting in the shower mist was enough to make her extremely drowsy.
She turned off the water after a few more minutes and immediately grabbed a towel to wrap around her injured side. After grabbing another towel to wrap around her body, she sat on the edge of the bathtub and began healing herself. It took longer than usual because of her fatigue, but she managed to heal the wound perfectly. The area was still slightly painful, but it was a dull ache that she could live with until it ceased completely.
She walked back into her bedroom and picked up a brush from her vanity while she made her way to the closet. As she brushed the tangles out of her hair with one hand, she fished through her clothes with the other. This was one of the few times where she truly wasn't concerned about her appearance. There was no need to be. She literally had one goal in mind, and that was to go to the hospital. Putting on makeup and searching for outfits was something that would only hinder her progress, and as far as she was concerned, she was going slowly enough thanks to Shikamaru and his stupid message scroll.
She finished with her hair and tossed the brush on the bed before dressing in a pair of black training pants and a deep purple turtleneck. It was a particularly cool day in the village and she knew her purple halter top and skirt probably weren't the best options. Putting her hair back in a ponytail, she left the bedroom to go back to the scroll.
Standing in front of it and repeating the chakra transfer again, she silently hoped that he was finished with the pointless tasks. She still didn't understand why he was asking her to do things for herself, especially when he was the one so badly injured, but the one thing she did know was that it did have a purpose. After all, she thought, Shikamaru never did anything unless he felt it important enough.
The message decoded faster than the last two, but the first two words written on the page caused her to do a double take.
"Now sleep."
"What?" She yelled aloud. She slammed her fists onto the table in frustration, no longer able to contain her feelings. She managed to look at the scroll again despite herself.
"Calm down, Ino. I know you're pissed, and you're probably ready to storm out of the house and come back here. I'm asking you not to.
You need to sleep. You just got back from a mission where I suspect you haven't gotten any decent amount of rest. I'm not asking you to sleep for any extended period of time; I'm just asking you to sleep period.
I promise that this is the last thing I'm asking you to do. Please just do it.
Whenever you wake up, you can come straight to me. I promise. I'll be waiting for you until then, troublesome woman.
Shikamaru
Ino felt frustrated tears fill her eyes and brushed them away aggressively. Standing, she stormed back into her bedroom and sat on the edge of her bed. She laid her head on her pillow, not even bothering to bring the sheet and blanket to cover herself.
"Fine. Whatever! I don't care anymore!" She said to herself and wiped the last of her tears away.
She knew her behavior was that of a stubborn child, but she couldn't bring herself to acknowledge it or care. All she could concentrate on was the fact that the time she'd spent at home could have been spent at Shikamaru's side, taking care of him and doing her best to help him get better. That was the only logic in her mind that made any sense, especially after hearing just how injured he was.
Lady Tsunade, though brief, spared no detail as she explained to Ino that Shikamaru had been badly hurt on his way back from his mission. It was a classified S-ranked mission, so she had absolutely no information about it other than that it was a month long and that they returned two days ago. According to Tsunade, his squad was ambushed on the way back, and Shikamaru sustained such severe injuries that the medics had doubts on whether or not he would survive. Ino shut down when she heard that, and only vaguely heard Tsunade mention something about his vital organs being targeted before she managed to bow and hurried out of the office.
Aside from the anxiety of his condition, the guilt she felt at not being able to protect him overwhelmed every other emotion she had. Part of her knew there was nothing she could have done, even if she were in the village at the time, but that didn't stop the hurt she felt. She briefly wondered if he resented her at all, but shook the thought from her mind, instead blaming fatigue for her growing sense of insecurity. Deciding to concentrate on happy thoughts, she closed her eyes and felt the pull of sleep claim her.
Well, that was chapter 2! One more to go before this story if finished. Thank you all so much for the reviews so far. I really love getting them, so let me know what you think!