Author's Notes:
Okay, here's the first chapter and I hope I didn't made any confusion or mix-up. I'm also working on my other story Conditional so tell me if you found something confusing. If you have any questions, ask away. I'll answer them on the next chapter AN.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto because if I did, Sasuke would be cute and kind while Itachi didn't kill his clan. But tragically, I don't own it so here I am stuck in writing -.~
Chapter 1- Sent on a Mission
Tsunade cocked an eyebrow at the sudden appearance of the seventeen-year old Shikamaru inside her office. It was in the middle of the night and she was not expecting anyone, after all, who would see her for something so trivial? But something in the eyes of the teen caught her attention, so, they've commenced with the plans already.
"Shikamaru, I hope you have an adequate reason for barging in my office this time of the night." She said, her voice threatening the teen who didn't even flinched at it. Instead, he sighed and muttered something about troublesome woman leaving and all.
"Troublesome, Ino just left the village along with Hinata, Sakura and Tenten and two mysterious figure. I suggest that we run after them, we'll be able to catch up with them if we chase them now." Tsunade smirked again and hid it with the sake cup that she placed to her lips, oh well, this would be fun. They couldn't be forgiven for what they did, so she'd make them squirm a few times.
"Nara, call in Uzumaki, Hyuuga, Uchiha and Sai, we have quite a lot of talking to do. And if it isn't much of a bother call in their sensei as well, it is of importance." She noticed the hesitation in his eyes but followed anyway. Well, she'll be up to her neck in questions again, but it would be worth it.
"Ah, life sure is cruel!" She said while mockingly raising the cup and swiveling her chair to a 360 until the door opened again. This time, all of those she had asked to be summoned had arrived and they were anxiously trying to read her face.
'Well, bad luck boys, I've quite got a thick mask here you see.' She mentally congratulated herself before she began to speak, mindful of the faces they would be making.
"I assume you have been told about the case?" They nodded grimly while Sai was same as usual, uncaring. Well, it wasn't a surprise, he had quite a hard job learning emotions and Sakura was the only patient one to teach him the basics.
"Oi, baa-chan, why won't you tell us to chase after them already? They won't be getting that far with their strength, right?" Tsunade ignored the blonde teen and continued with her talk, oblivious of the outburst he had been throwing.
"The four girls have been dispatched on a three-year long mission along with my cousin and an old friend of mine. They have been given order to act as if they have left the village in their own accord so don't be surprised if you saw one of them hitting their teammate (at this point Lee grimaces at the memory) or if they leave the village. It will be their cover until the mission is complete." She watched them murmur to themselves until Naruto asked a question that should have been answerable by them already.
"Why did you made them do it?" Tsunade narrowed her eyes, oh so were they insulting them now, so much for caring. She turned towards the jinchuriki and glared at him which made him swallow and rethink his question.
"Well, my reasons are my reason. You are prohibited to follow them, and if you happen to meet with them during one of your missions, ignore them and do not initiate contact, it may jeopardize them. Am I understood?" They hesitantly nodded before the Hokage dismissed them, they better be glad she wasn't sleeping yet when Shikamaru interrupted her or someone would have paid. She turned around and a faint smile graced her lips, maybe, just maybe, letting them leave would heal their hearts, especially her. She's been through a lot because of the power-hungry Elders and yet they had the nerve to call her weak for not attaining the final form yet.
"Go, and shine brighter than those around you, I know that you girls can do it." She said before raising the sake cup and drinking it. She'd probably regret this, but well, she's always been a bad gambler now, wasn't she?
Shikamaru
Shikamaru sighed, he had been hoping that the Hokage would let them bring the girls back, but he was surprised that it was a mission. He unconsciously touched the hair of the purple-haired girl who was leaning on his shoulder as they watched the stars, and he couldn't help but compare it to Ino's. Her hair was softer and it was apple-scented, not too mild and not too strong.
"Shika-kun, when will you bring me to your house to meet your parents?" He looked at the girl's eyes, they were purple but he preferred Ino's blue eyes, whenever he looked in her eyes, it felt like he would drown in them. He sighed again, he knew that he shouldn't feel bad with dating Ayame, Ino and him were only friends and so he couldn't understand why she had called him a lazy back-stabbing, cheating and hopeless bum.
"Shika-kun!" The girl whined and he resisted the urge to push her away, even Ino had the modesty to stop annoying him when he was star or cloud gazing. But he caught himself, this wasn't Ino, she was Ayame and they were different.
"Troublesome, I don't know." In truth, his parents had wanted him to marry Ino when they were older since both were clan heirs and they would be perfect for each other. So he wasn't sure as to how they would react when they hear the news that he was dating Ayame, a nobody.
"Why?"
"Because." He answered shortly, of all the things he hated it was being asked why when he didn't want to tell his reasons.
"Hey, because isn't an answer!" He rolled his eyes mentally, man this woman was more annoying than Ino and he wondered whatever made him like this girl.
"Troublesome..."
"And so is troublesome, come on Shika-kun you can do better than that!" He growled, she was getting damn annoying and before he knew it, he had lashed out.
"I don't want to tell you okay?! You're being such a bitch about my reasons Ino!" Before he could comprehend what he had said, a loud smack was heard and the girl ran away from him, crying away her pains. He stood there dumbfound, he had not expected that he would accidentally say it. He had been so annoyed that it slipped out and the girl must have been really hurt... Or jealous.
"You'll get a bruising there in your face if you don't fix that up." He looked towards the clearing and he saw Kakashi smiling, well, more like crinkling his open eye along with Naruto who was snickering behind his hand and Sasuke who was cold as usual.
"Troublesome." He sat down again, and ignored the laughs that erupted when the rest saw his face.
'Damn that girl!' At least if Ino and him would break up, she wouldn't slap him, she'd probably find himself doing embarrassing things while Ino controlled his movements and he'd be too lazy to fight her. Argsh, now what was he thinking?
"You really are hopeless Shikamaru, you even got slapped in the face! Dattebayo!" He glared at Naruto which went unnoticed as he laughed his head off. Sasuke and Neji were kind enough not to laugh but they both had smirks on their face. Lee was glaring at Neji while Sai was looking passively at their interaction.
"What are you guys doing here?" He asked, wondering why they would meet up in his favorite place. Naruto stopped laughing and sheepishly scratched his head while Kakashi closed his book and Lee looked at him with puppy eyes which grossed him out even more.
"No." He said firmly, he wanted Ino back in Konoha but he wouldn't risk being a missing nin just to get them back.
"Why? Scared of being branded as a missing nin?" he glared at Sasuke who taunted him and he spun around, glaring at the last Uchiha.
"Ha, no, but I won't risk my shinobi title and loyalty jut get something I want, not like someone I know." He sneered while Sasuke glared at him, in return. Kakashi was assessing the situation when Chouji came running or tumbling down the hill while carrying a letter and a box.
"Oi, oi, oi! Chouji, stop!" They would have been squashed by the fat teen had he stopped a few seconds later. He reverted back to human size and caught his breath while handing them the letter that looked so much like something Ino would make.
"I *pant found this *pant in front of *gasp my room. It's from *pant Ino-chan." Shikamaru opened the letter and his eyes widened a fraction, this wasn't right. Why didn't his parents tell him? He immediately muttered troublesome and teleported himself to his parents. They were going to make a lot of explaining for him, that's for sure.
Ino
Ino looked at the stars, tomorrow, they would reach the Temple of Seasons and then they would begin their training, she hoped that she would make it. She breathed in the air wound her, it smelled so much like pine wood and cedar, something that made her smile.
"Ino-chan, w-why are you smiling?" She looked beside her and noticed that Hinata was beside her already. She smiled but did not answer when she heard the voice of Tenten from the clearing.
"I bet she's excited to know her season, she's been talking non-stop about it." She smiled, that was partially correct while the other part was because she would finally have a new life tomorrow, she would be free until time bound them again.
"Hn... I know what you're thinking of Ino." She sat up and saw Sakura standing behind them, she was looking at them passively, her eyes void of emotion. Ino pouted, this why she hated Sakura sometimes. She never had a chance of privacy when she was near.
"I know Ino, I hate it sometimes as well..." Sakura turned her back and walked towards their makeshift camp, and Ino couldn't help but be confused as to why Sakura had suddenly became cold. But all of her thoughts about Sakura's change of attitude were forgotten as the stars shone even brighter, the wheels of fate were turning again.
"Tomorrow, we'll finally be free..." Her voice drifted off as she felt her eyelids close, rest, finally...
Author's Notes:
So, what do you guys think huh? Well, I'll be waiting for your comments! Thanks for reading again guys, I hope I didn't made any errors in the names.