Team 10

Chouji met Karui during the war. It wasn't the best place to meet a girl, but for people in their profession, they'd take what they could get.

It was far from romantic. They didn't stop to stare soulfully into each other's eyes (that sort of thing gets you killed). All Chouji did was punch a Zetsu. Karui was running off to somewhere, and cut it in half when it almost landed on her.

She yelled "watch your aim, jackass!"

And then she kept running. Neither saw the other's face, but this trifling meeting became a foundation.

xxxxx

Ino met Sai when he joined Team 7. He had called her beautiful, and he looked a bit like Sasuke. Ino wasn't really looking for a relationship, but her first thought when meeting him was: "He'll do."

It was not the most inspiring of admissions, but it surprised her. She didn't think she was still so immature as to base everything off of looks.

Still, as she spent more time with him, she could begin to se why he would do. It wasn't just that he was cute, or that he'd called her beautiful (he wasn't the first, and though she appreciated the attention, Ino liked to think it took more than kind words and a pretty face to get in her bed), he was also funny, in his own strange and stunted way. When he got Sakura riled up, Ino laughed. When Naruto did, she still laughed, but she also felt like she was intruding on something.

Okay, to be honest, most of her attraction had been because he was cute and complimented her. She wasn't going to admit that to herself though.

xxxxx

When Shikamaru met Temari, it'd been during the Chuunin Exams. She had almost broken TenTen's back with that fan of hers, and though he wasn't exactly pleased, he didn't bother to do anything. Lee did what he'd guessed the boy would do, and stepped in for him.

They'd fought again in the exam finals. He wasn't psyched about it, but thanks to Kiba, he had no choice.

That was about when he became interested in her. Here was a girl who had actually made him work. His initial strategy had needed to be modified because of her. It was new, and though it cost him much more effort than he would have liked, he was definitely intrigued. Perhaps if the invasion hadn't happened, he would've challenged her to a game of Shogi.

xxxxx

Chouji actually met Karui the morning after the final confrontation, when all the cocoons dissolved. All of the big players knew each other by this point, and had been gathered in the same place. It was very convenient for checking who had made it and who hadn't.

After the customary hugs and pat-downs for missing limbs, the survivors started doing what any group does, and traded stories. Their voices were loud and boisterous, as if testing that they were really living. The stories were complementary—of selves and others—and the tellers exuberant. It had reached the point where villages had started to bleed together as speakers went in search of new audiences.

Chouji had always been a late riser, and had only recently woken up. He'd found Ino already, and now he was looking for Shikamaru (and Temari, by association). On his search, he passed a particularly loud speaker who's story caught his attention.

"…and so I was just booking it, right? And as I'm running, guess what happens. Some guy chucked one of those plant-men at me! Yeah! I just saw this HUGE fist pop up over a ridge, and seconds—and I mean seconds—later, the whitey comes flyin' towards me. So I cut it in half!"

By now, Chouji had stopped. One of the guys in the circle beckoned him over. Idly, Chouji noticed that the man's facial hair was styled like Asuma's. The girl telling the story glanced at him briefly.

"Hey, welcome. I was just getting to the good part."

She turned back and got back into it. Chouji had to shift back a little as her arms went up. She was an expressive speaker.

"So like I was saying, this white plant man gets knocked towards me by some huge fist—must'a been an Akimichi or somethin'…"

The man who reminded him of Asuma cut in.

"Hey buddy, you look like an Akimichi. You know anything about this?"

The storyteller, a dark-skinned girl with red hair, turned to Chouji and looked closely at his face.

"Hey, I think I saw you in Konoha. Lemme see your hands."

Accustomed to bossy women after working with Ino, Chouji relented. The girl grabbed up his right hand in hers and pulled it up near her face.

"Yeah…" she said, "…yeah this looks familiar."

Chouji usually didn't speak much with new people, but he had no time for shyness after that last battle.

"Did you say: 'watch your aim, jackass?'"

The girl gave a start and almost dropped his hand.

"That was you?"

"Apparently."

"Holy shit, dude! What're the odds?"

Chouji shrugged.

"We'd have to ask my friend Shikamaru. He could figure it out."

Still holding his hand, the girl shook it once, firmly.

"I'm Karui," she said, glossing over both what he'd said, and that she'd insulted him.

"Chouji," he responded, but she kept going anyway.

"That was really cool, you know. I've heard of you guys before, but I've never seen anything like that in person. What's it like?"

He shrugged. She still hadn't let go.

"Heavy."

"No shit, dude. That was MASSIVE. I bet you gotta train a lot for that, right?"

"Since birth."

Karui rolled her eyes, finally dropping his hand to place hers on her hips.

"Clans, am I right?"

She looked him up and down, before patting him on the side.

"Still, you look like you're used to it, right bud?"

He scowled. Fat jokes were still not welcome with him.
"Chouji," he corrected, "and that's for our techniques. They need a lot of calories to use."

She had the grace to look briefly apologetic.

"Sorry Chouji. You eat a lot of starches?"

"Yes."

"You don't really talk too much, do you?"

"One of my teammates usually does enough for my friend and I."

"Who's your friend?"

"Shikamaru."

"Describe him for me, will ya?"

"His hair looks like a pineapple."

"Oh! I know who you're talking about. Say, do you know Naruto?"
Chouji wasn't sure if she was asking because they were both from Konoha, or because she thought Naruto's hair was pineapple-esque, so he just nodded.

"How's he doing? He get his buddy back?"

Chouji shrugged again.

"I didn't really see where they went when this all ended. I haven't seen him or Sasuke around…"

"Yeah, Sasuke! That was that asshole's name!"

"…so either they're somewhere else around here, or they're the reason why we're all free right now."

"No shit?"

"Their team has a bit of a history with this kind of thing."

"Like what?"

"You'd have to ask him."

Karui nodded and took his hand again.

"Let's go find him then!"

One of her audience members piped up.

"Wait, what about the story?"

Karui just yelled over her shoulder (and into Chouji's ear).

"You're living it!"

She tried to drag Chouji's massive frame off, and he trotted behind her obligingly.

xxxxx

A few yards over, Shikamaru and Temari were watching the redhead from Kumo go off with Chouji.

"I wonder where those two are off to," said Temari, leaning slightly into Shikamaru's side.

"Off to find Naruto, I'd expect."

"Makes sense."

The two were silent for a few seconds before she broke down.

"Okay, what were your clues?"

"Only if you tell me yours."

"Naruto is one of the few people those two have in common," Temati explained. "Though she might also ask about Sasuke, Naruto remains the most likely because of his…effect on people."

"Also, it wouldn't matter if they were looking for Sasuke," added Shikamaru, "because the two are probably in the same place. On top of that, Choiji was likely looking for me. Going and finding Naruto is the only thing that could have possibly overridden that."

"Aww, are you jealous?"

"He'll come find me later."

Temari nudged him with her elbow.

"That wasn't a no~"

Shikamaru shifted away from her slightly, and she followed. That was unusual for her to do in public.

"Easy with my ribs, please."

"Sorry," she murmured, and wrapped her arms around him.

"Temari?"

"Yeah?"

Her voice was softer. Shikamaru didn't blush, but he could feel his face heating up.

"What are you doing?"

"Say, Shika…what did you see in the Tsukuyomi?"

He stiffened unconsciously. Damn woman knew what to say.

"What did you see?"

"I asked you first."

Shikamaru struggled. He really didn't want to tell her what he saw. He would be embarrassed, and he still feared subconsciously that she would react…unfavorably.

"I saw Asuma and Kurenai."

He had paused though. That told her all she needed to know.

"What, no me?" she teased, "I thought I was more important to you."

"You were there."

"Half-truths now?"

Her voice was sing-song and wheedling. She was playing with him.

"I don't want to say it." he said, struggling to maintain his cool. As soon as those words were out of his mouth, she dropped all pretenses and hardened her voice.

"Tough. Spit it out."

"…"

"Do it, or I'm kissing you in public."

"You're bluffing. Displays like that embarrass you too. On top of that, your brothers are nearby."

"So is Ino. And, my brothers won't kill me."

Shikamaru was briefly silent. He could see no way out, and the way she had hugged him pinned his hands, which prevented him from assuming his thinking pose. Damned woman.

He relented.

"I told you I wouldn't even bother with marriage."

A triumphant grin. It both tightened his jaw and lightened his stomach.

"I thought so."

And then she kissed him anyway.

Shikamaru was aware of a few things. Though they had kissed before, he still found himself marveling at the sensation of her lips on his. Absently, he heard Ino squeal. Temari's arms tightened around him, and he felt a prickling on his back that he desperately hoped wasn't sand.

When she released him, he spoke.

"I told you the truth."

"I know you did. I still haven't told you what I saw though."

"…What did you see?"

"Us. Us with a future."

"So you decided it was time to be active?"

"I'd have to eventually. I know what I saw was an illusion, but I'd still like to make it a reality."

She let go of him and stood straight. His arms immediately snapped into the proper position to amplify his thoughts.

"We don't have to get married, you know. The ceremony always seemed like too much trouble to me too. A Civil Union will be enough. Oh, and we're spending more time together. I know we're from different villages, but this is important. So that means that either one of us moves to the other's village, or we move between the two as a unit."

Shikamaru had dropped fully into his thinking pose, and was still drawing nothing but blanks. He let out a long breath of air.

"You really are trouble, aren't you."

xxxxx

Naruto had been easy to find. The newly decimated Vally of the End still had a massive column of dust hanging above it. In Chouji's relaxed mind, he decided it was as if what once was cliff wall was trying to return to its old shape. He absently noted that his rather nonplussed attitude was a little odd, but given what had happened last time Naruto and Sasuke had met here, he decided his lack of surprise made sense.

So it was that when they reached Team 7, Chouji's first words were—rather than "What happened," or, "What did you do," as would be expected—"Where'd the water go?"

Karui had him covered though, exclaiming "What did you do?!" almost on top of Chouji's laconic question.

Sakura stared at them before laughing. Naruto joined her, and Sasuke idly pointed to the sad trickle where the once mighty waterfall had been.

"I wonder where the rest went," said Kakashi, as calmly as one discussed the weather.

Then it started to rain.

"Oh. There it is."

Kakashi reached out and patted Naruto and Sasuke's heads.

"Good work, you two."

They walked on then, with Naruto and Sakura still laughing, and Sasuke shaking his head.

"Hey! Don't ignore me!"

Chouji patted her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it. I said this was normal for them, but they still need to unwind."

The redhead turned to face him, astonished.

"That's the most I've heard you say since I met you."

"No it isn't," said Chouji, and he began to walk off after them.

Karui jogged up to him and quickly fell in step.

"Yeah, I guess not. So what now, do we just follow them?"

"They're probably headed where we are."

"And where's that?" she asked, her energy and curiosity at war with his indifference.
"Back with everyone else."

"Makes sense."

She adopted a casual pose, trying not to show how her anticipation was eating away at her.

They continued at Chouji's pace for a bit, never losing sight of Team 7, but maintaining a respectful distance. Finally, she snapped.

"Okay, we're catching up to them. I wanna know what happened."

"No. Give them time."

A hefty hand landed on her shoulder. She shrugged it off.

"We did though!"

"Be patient. They've been through a lot."

She rounded on him.

"So have we! I just fought and almost lost the biggest war this world has ever seen! I'm hopped up on adrenaline; patience is not an option!"
"Do you cook?"

Karui stopped. Chouji waited, but kept an eye on Naruto's back.

"The fuck did you ask me? If I could cook?! You sexist or something? What kind'a question is that?"

"For an Akimichi? A good one. Cooking is a big thing for us. I do takoyaki and yakisoba, and I've been trying to get a pork recipe from my favorite restaurant. It hasn't been going well."

He took her hand and gently tugged forward.

"We should keep moving. We don't want to lose sight of them."

"Yeah, yeah. Okay."

She tugged her hand from his and started walking quickly.

"I cook alright," she said. "Just alright though. I can do curry."

"Is it spicy?" Chouji asked, following her.

"Do you like spicy?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

She turned to look ahead, smiling a little despite herself.

"Yeah, it's pretty spicy."

"Good. Mild curry isn't curry."

"What is it then?"

"Stew."

Karui snickered a little. She'd grown used to Chouji's brevity, and was finding it a refreshing change from Omoi's long-winded ramblings.

"So that pork place of yours…is it good?"
"If it wasn't, I wouldn't eat there."

Karui quickly rolled her eyes. She didn't want to look up into a raindrop, but she wouldn't abandon her sassiness just because of inclement weather.

"Well, yeah, duh. I was trying to make conversation though."

"It is. It's a grill. The pork is served to you, and you cook it on the hot tabletop."

"Seems pretty straightforward."

"I've been trying to figure out what they marinate the pork in."

"Any luck?"

"I haven't gotten the flavor exactly right, but I'm working on it."

"But if you finished it, would there be any point in going to the restaurant?"

"It's where my teacher took us on special occasions. We still use it as a place to meet."

"Oh."

He didn't say anything about it, but Karui got the feeling that their teacher was no longer around.

"What was his name?"

"Who?"

"Your teacher."

"Asuma."

"I think I've heard of him."

"He was one of the twelve guardians."

Karui whistled appreciatively.

"Wow. What happened to him?"

"Hidan."

"Sorry."

Chouji gestured loosely with a hand.

"It happened."

He left it at that. The silence between the two became awkward, and Karui tried to think of something to say. Chouji spoke up first.

"Is there anything you're trying to learn?"

"Like what, a technique?"

He shook his head.

"No. Food."

"Oh! Uh…I've been wanting to learn to make sushi, but Kumo doesn't really have good access to fresh fish."

Chouji nodded approvingly.

"Sushi's good."

"I had it once when my team was sent to Mist. I remember Omoi was scared of eating fish raw, but it was actually pretty tasty. I shut him up by sticking one of the maki rolls in his mouth. I think he liked it, but he wouldn't stop talking about how I could've given him food poisoning or something after that."

She looked over at Chouji to find him grinning.

"What?"

"Your teammate."

"He isn't funny, he's just frustrating! He overthinks everything, and once he gets started, he can't stop! Each situation he imagines just leads into another and another! It's tiring to listen to him, you know?"

"I can guess."

She bopped his shoulder.

"Now you, you're different. It's nice to talk to you, because you actually listen!"

"If you met my teammate, you'd know why."

"Who, that Shikamaru guy?"

"No. Ino."

"She talk a lot?"

"She doesn't stop."

"How would that make you a good listener?"

"She checks to make sure we were paying attention."

"What, does she give you a pop quiz?"

She snickered like it was a joke, but when Chouji replied, he was dead serious.

"Yep."

"Wow."

The rain was starting to turn the dusty earth to mud. The two slogged onward in a comfortable atmosphere filled with the patter of rain, and the light splashing of newly-birthed puddles.

xxxxx

Before returning to their villages and honoring the fallen, the survivors celebrated their victory. They did this in a nearby town that had survived the carnage, commandeering much of the commercial sector for the event.

While much of the army milled about outside and elsewhere, the big players from the different villages got together in the biggest inn in town. There, Gaara had given a brief speech on behalf of the Gokage. It was a nice speech, but for Sai, the memorable part had been when Naruto got up and gave a speech of his own.

He'd talked about unity, new friendships, and old quarrels set aside. He talked about Jiraiya, and how he was certain that this was what the man had always dreamed of. And while much of the audience were surprised that the old spymaster had been a peace-lover, those who knew him found that addition particularly poignant.

He was probably going to say more, but Sakura pulled him down from the table and took the bottle from his hands. Considering how heated his face was getting, that was probably a good thing. Sai hadn't known the boy as long as she had, but he had been around enough to know that the poor guy could only go so long before completely destroying a moment. She must've decided that he'd reached a good stopping point, and Sai couldn't agree more.

He'd lost track of those two after that. Not much later, Sasuke left to visit with team Hawk, who'd opted to stay outside with Juugo (who disliked both crowds and enclosed spaces). Sai had hung around with Kakashi for a bit, but after Anko showed up and dragged the man off, he'd decided it'd be in his best interests not to follow.

One hour in, and Sai was already alone.

He'd expected as much. One of the first things Team 7 had done after he'd joined was go after Sasuke. Sai knew he was just a stand-in from the beginning, and while the original, emotionless him was okay with that, he was now finding that same acceptance hard to come by as such a casual dismissal rankled his newfound feelings.

"Lonely?"

"Not really."

Sai responded automatically, his fake smile plastering itself over the raw truth like a bandage.

"Thank you for asking though."

He turned to find out who had spoken to him, and met Ino's doubting gaze.

"Hello, beautiful," he said.

"Hello to you too, Sai. You're a shitty liar and your smile is even faker than usual. What's up?"

Sai kept his smile up even though she'd just called him on it.

"Nothing. Naruto and Sakura just require privacy. Sasuke has gone outside, and Kakashi is off with Anko. What about you, gorgeous? Where is your team?"

"Wait, Kakashi and Anko? What—actually, nevermind. I can find out about that later."

Ino crossed her arms and leaned against the wall next to Sai.

"As for my teammates, they're off with other people. Shika's with Temari—surprise surprise—and Chouji's hanging out with this one girl from Kumo—Karui, I think."

Sai straightened.

"Oh?"

"What, do you know her?"

He slumped back against the wall.

"We've met. She and Naruto had an altercation back when Kumo thought Sasuke had killed B."

"Huh. I don't remember hearing about that."

"He didn't tell anyone. I only know because I was there."

"Should I be worried about Chouji?"

"I don't think so. B is alive and Sasuke has been forgiven."

"Are you okay with that?"

"Pardon me?"

"You were his replacement, right? I notice you aren't with the rest of the team."

"And? I notice you aren't with the rest of yours."

Ino huffed.

"I don't need to hang out with my team, you know. I have other friends."

"I could say the same to you."

"Yeah? Well where are they? Why aren't you with your "other friends?""

"Why aren't you with yours?"

"Will you stop throwing my words back at me? It's really annoying!"

"It's still an appropriate response."

"They're busy!"

"As are mine."

Ino threw her arms up in exasperation.

"God! Talking to you is like talking to a wall!"

"I like to think I'm a bit more talkative than most walls."

She grabbed him by the front of his shirt.

"Buddy, I don't care how cute you are. I will punch you if you keep this up."

Sai was also beginning to get annoyed, which he found strange. The last time he had felt anger had been when he fought Deidera. Though he had had only limited interaction with her, this girl was already forcing an emotional response. It was intriguing.

"I wasn't aware you found me cute," he said, smiling in a manner he hoped was disarming, "I'll make a note of that."

She growled and marched off. As she was still holding his collar, Sai was forced to stumble after her. She dragged him to a room off of the main hall and opened the door. Tossing him inside, Ino stomped in and slammed the door behind her.

"Look, you bastard…" she began, but was cut off by a very familiar voice.

"Um…"

Ino and Sai both turned to see Naruto and Sakura. Naruto was reclined, with Sakura straddling his lap. They were still clothed (thank god), but both were very red and looking rather unkempt.

The two pairs stared at each other in silence. Sai felt like he should say something, but couldn't think what.

Ino could.

"So, making up for lost time, are we?" she said, with a wink and a saucy smile. Sai was amazed that Ino could make such a suggestive expression simply by moving a bit of muscle and skin.

He wasn't sure if it had its intended effect though as immediately after, all of Sakura's embarrassment was consumed and replaced by rage.

"OUT!"

She chucked a pillow at Ino, but missed and hit Sai. Laughing, Ino grabbed his hand and pulled him into the hallway. She closed the door behind him and felt it shudder as another pillow hit it at high speed.

Bemused by this interaction, he spoke up.

"I'm afraid I don't get it. Does this mean we're friends?"

She turned to look at the strange boy.

"What?"

"Well, you did to Sakura what I did to you. And she reacted the same way that you did. I have heard that you two are friends, so does that mean the same for us?"

Ino looked like she was about to say something, but she gave up and shrugged instead.

"…you know what? Sure," she said, "we're friends."

Sai smiled and nodded.

"Excellent. Right here then."

"Huh?"

"You asked where my other friends were. We are friends, so right here."

She paused, then began to snicker.

"…dumb ass," she muttered, looking down and shaking her head.

"Pardon me?" he said, unsure of why she was insulting him when (as far as his limited ability to read a mood could tell) there was no hint of maliciousness in their conversation.
"Nothing. Just…come on."

He was about to press the issue when Ino took his hand—gently this time—and made to lead him back to the party.

"Are we going to try another room?" he asked, trying to find some foothold that would allow him to begin comprehending his situation.

He couldn't tell if he was wrong, because Ino failed to react in any of the ways he was used to. Rather than congratulating him for his astuteness (what he would prefer) or smacking him for his insulting ignorance (what he was used to), she stopped moving. Nothing was said immediately. For an uncomfortable few seconds, she looked him up and down before finally speaking up.

"Why, do you want to?"

Without any frame of reference, Sai was unable to make an educated guess about what answer was the right one. He was forced to be honest.

"I am interested to see where that was going."

Ino looked puzzled.

"Where what was going?" she asked, and he elaborated, feeling increasingly unsure of his words.

"I want to know what would have happened in that room if Naruto and Sakura had not been there."

Her hand released his and glided up his arm, resting on his shoulder. She seemed more comfortable now, like she had returned home from foreign lands to find everything exactly where she had left it. He supposed that was good, because he felt like someone had been moving his stuff around.

"Were you…expecting something?" she asked, and her voice hung in his head; an echo or a track on repeat. It looped in his brain like the last thought before sleep, or a fever dream, hazy and half-waking. He looked at her and he got it. Ino had always been flirty, but in charge of her situation. He had done something to take control away from her, and she was reverting to old habits and routines to get it back. She was treating him just like everyone else.

He looked at her, and he saw not only Ino, but Ino the Blank Page. Their few past interactions had left few marks on her surface, and now only ghost lines remained. He could see the options reflected in her; the possibilities of what to create. This new relationship was his canvas, and he could make it into anything he wanted.

Anything he wanted.

He saw Ino the Blank Page, and he knew just what he wanted to paint.

"Yes," he said, "I suppose I did."

He laid down his first brush stroke then. With the image of black ink sweeping across his mind, he recaptured the hand on his shoulder, slid his free hand up to spread between her shoulder blades, and pulled her in to a kiss.

When he pulled away, he expected her to be stunned. He had, after all, taken all initiative, and should have put her completely off balance. Instead, she had a grin that reminded him a bit too much of a sprung trap.

"Oh, buddy," she said, "You have no idea what you just got yourself into."

Apprehensive, but mostly intrigued, Sai offered no resistance when Ino opened the door behind her and pulled him in.

Sai learned a few new feelings that night.

xxxxx

AN: Another update! I can write more than just one-shots! Incredible.

You may have noticed that this chapter is longer than the last one. Well, there's a good reason for that. In the last chapter, I was writing a relationship that already had the foundation, the frame, the walls…pretty much everything but the roof. Most of the work had been done for me.

In this chapter (with the exception of Shikamaru and Temari), I had to do the opposite. The roof was in place, and I had to build the house beneath it. This is also why, for everyone but Shikamaru, I only had the very beginning of the relationship written. The ending is canon. I'm trying to explain how they got there. If you aren't satisfied, don't worry. The couples interact with each other, so previous teams and pairings will be getting further development in later chapters. Speaking of which, I still have to figure out what to do with Shino. Ciao!