TROIS
"Do you see Sai?" Ino's head popped up on Sakura's slightly opened door. Sakura moved her chair backward to face Ino, pen sticking out on her hand. She was on the middle of studying another medical jutsu on their spare bedroom on hospital. Cause they both spent so many fucking hours at hospital, they both get spare room to spent the night now.
"No, haven't seen him today. Why?"
"Kakashi just gave me mission and Sai supposedly my partner but that man didn't even showed up." Ino stood by the door, hand folded in front of her chest. "Do you happen to know where he lives?"
Sakura shook her head. "Maybe Naruto knows."
"Naruto is on another mission with team 10." Honestly, since Naruto and Hinata became a thing, Naruto basicly always tagged along with her teams in every mission. Kinda funny though, seeing the self-acclaimed next Hokage plead to Kakashi to let him tagged along.
"Maybe he's in Anbu HQ, Ino." Ino shrugged off, thinking Sakura maybe right. "eh, I think this is the first time you both went into mission. What kind of mission?" she could see Sakura's little smile play on her lips.
"Don't get your hopes too high, forehead. Kakashi just want us to fix Konoha's South wall."
"It's still a good chance, isn't it? You're the one pestering me about his condition when he was on hospital after the Land of Silence mission. Come clean about your feeling towards him now, cant you?"
"It's just because you're the medic-nin in charge. Can't I be worried of a fallen comrade's condition? He's my friend too."
"Doubt that." Sakura had fun teasing the blonde. Ino would act like a shy maiden when it comes to Sai lately. Sakura suspect it's because her childish crush to the pale nin had now taken into a different level, though Ino always denied the seriousness.
"Geez, why talking to any member of team seven is so hard? Just tell him to come and find me there if you met him, okay?" Ino waved goodbye at her pink-haired bestfriend and exited herself.
Ino had looking for the pale-nin this morning, after Kakashi gave her the mission. Since both of them had same interest in beutification, Kakashi had place them both in Village infrastructure restoration. Usually they had different task, so Sakura was right, this was the first time they partnered.
It's been weeks since they last time they met, actually. Ino still saw him on the street sometimes, and their small greetings consist of a glance and nodded of acknowledgement. Sometimes Ino wished they're teammates so they could spent more time and know each other better. What makes those black eyes always seems so distant, what makes him always do the lonely smile, Ino did want to know.
It's one hour after she arrived on South Wall, that Sai finally came up. He jumped out of his ink-falcon and apologize for his lateness. She just finished inspecting the crumbled walls, making plans to rebuild it. Planning was just a habit she got naturally from hanging too much around Shikamaru (you can't expect to went on shogi with him without any plan).
"Just come back from a mission?" she concluded, judging from his Anbu vest and dishelved hair. Sai nodded, dismissed the ink-falcon. "you're not tired?"
"I'm fine, Bijin-san." Ino battled her eyelashes before look at him. Then suddenly she burst on laugh. Sai titled his head in curiosity.
"Nothing." She answered, turned her back on him so he didn't have to see her laughing. He came back to nicknames. Apparently, Sai had come back to his usual self, means he had overcome what happened in Land of Silence before. No need to be cautious again around him now.
Sai stood in front of the crumble walls, thinking.
"Quite a work." Ino said, handing him her notes. She had written the things they should do, where the crumbled walls should be fixed. It's a surprised for him she actually knew how to build a wall, noting that all he knew she was a botanist. Maybe Yamanaka Ino is so much more than just what meet the eyes.
"Last group had left the brick and dough, but I don't think it'll covered all the crumbled walls. We still need another loads. That's where I'll need your falcon for transportation." She explained to him. "I'll start from the far east end, how about you start from the other side?" he nodded at her command.
Sai draw his beast ink to help her. "You know, if I could get used with your ink creatures I may want to have them as pet one day." She said jokingly, thinking back on he used his tiger ink one day to carried her home.
"You want them as pet?" he raised an eyebrow. "but they'll be gone when my chakra is low."
"No, I meant… forget it. Let's start." Ino motioned the beast to help her carry sack of bricks. She looked at the beast ink that had stoic expression just like the owner while they're walking away and raised an eyebrow.
"He can't draw you in prettier way, can he? Can you actually talk? Can you understand me?" the beast looked at her and surprisingly, he nodded. "wow, I really could get used of you." She patted the beast's mane, eventhough knowing there's no fur nor ink will meet her skin.
Ino lost track of time while arranging the bricks on the crumpled walls. The beast came in handy, he would let her stood atop of him when she tried to reach highers end. And help carry the weight stuff. He's a good listener too, though the beast didn't actually reply her words. Ino liked to talk, and so she liked anyone, anything, that'd like to listen.
"…and so I told Shika to be manly and go up tell Temari that he likes her. I meant, what actually the hardship of saying 'I love you' to the one you love?" she took another brick and turned her head towards the beast, who only blinked its eyes. "hey I just realized since you're made of his ink, his chakra, you also act like him, eh?"
The beast titled his head. Ino imagined Sai now look at her like that.
"If only you're a real living thing, maybe you could tell me one or two things about your owner." She said while looking at him thoroughly. Sai had painted him in details, somehow she find herself adore his skill with ink. "I wonder what he's doing in his free time? Does he even have free time?"
The beast didn't give any nod or shook.
"You know, I do want to know him better. To get closer." She said again, putting another brick. The beast came closer to her, knowing she'll need help to put the next brick in higher end. Ino climbed up to him. "I want to be his friend." She look down the the beast, hand gripped his mane.
The beast leaning down, letting her climbed down from his back. Surprisingly, the beast nodded at her now. "Do you think he wanted to be my friend too?" again, another nodded. "well… at least you and I are friends now." She laughed and tapped the beast's head.
She took a good look at her works for hours; all part of the east end southern wall had been fixed. "I guess we should head back to your owner and see how he's doing." They both walking to the west end, she half expected Sai would already laying down as he supposedly finish his works now.
But no, she found him sitting with back lean on the wall, not even half of west wall had been fixed. He seemed resting on the crumbled's wall shadow, head down.
"Sai?" Ino arrived near him, the Anbu look up to meet her eyes. It's either he was sick or she found him paler than usual.
"Yes?"
"You're not even finished here?" she raised an eyebrow.
"I'm short of bricks…"
"Then why don't you use your falcon and went to get it from Konoha?" Sai took a long, deep breath before waking up himself. He draw his falcon and climbed up. Ino not sure she was imagining things or the man a little bit shaky than his usual. The falcon set on flying, and just then she knew she didn't imagining things.
Sai's body went a little bit too close to the edge, made the falcon stop its attempt on flying, getting back on ground to maintain its rider. Ino run to him, stabilizie his body. She touch his neck since his forehead was covered by his head protector to check his temperature.
"You're caught on fever. Why don't you tell me earlier?" Ino helped him to the nearest tree, force him to sit beneath the comforting shadow. Sai touch her hand on his neck, smile sheepishly.
"Your hand is cold. It feels nice."
"It's because you're high on fever. Your body practically burning right now." She took off his forehead protector. Ino's hand glowing green and touch his burning forehead. Sai felt rush of win breeze upon him now, cooling down his body. He opened his eyes to look at her. She concentrated on him, barely paying attention to his eyes on her.
"What are you eating this morning?" Ino put his forehead protector again. Sai shook his head. "no breakfast? What time do you wake up this morning?"
"Around four, I think."
"You have mission since four in the morning until eight and you haven't had any breakfast?" he nodded. "do you even eat last night?"
"I recall falling asleep as soon as I reach home." Ino sighed in annoyance.
"Wait here. Don't wander off anywhere or else I'll punch you until you can barely think." She climbed on his falcon, leaving him with his beast beside him. Sai watched until his falcon and her gone into Konoha's sunny skies.
"Working hard with her?" he looked at his beast. The creature nodded. "I think she likes you… strange woman talk to ink."
Ino arrived in no time, while Sai still sitting against the tree, not moving even an inch.
"Eat and rest." She handed him a box of bento and orange water. "you're restless and hypoglikemia. Dismished your chakra's beast and falcon to save up your energy, I'll do the rest of the work."
Sai refused her bento, his eyebrow knotted. "Then I basicly didn't do anything at all."
"Your falcon helped me get remaining bricks. Your beast had helped me before. Now it's just you who should help me by sitting here and eat."
"Ino," he called her sternly. "It's our mission, not yours solely." Ino frowned.
"That's why because it's our mission I do the part for you while you cant. You'd do the same for me anyway. I thought you had learn much about teamwork in team seven, didn't you? Friends do not leave one behind." He listen to her words, his grip on her refused bento wavered.
"If you do it alone it'll take until late afternoon."
"I'm stronger than you think." She commented, putting the bento and keep it on his hands. "eat and rest, Sai. The faster you listen to my advice, the faster you'll get better, and the faster you can help me back."
She left him and went back to work on west wall. He looked at his beast and falcon, deciding it's best going on with her plan rather than interfering. He didn't look at her as a weak woman, to be honest. He never did. He knew exactly how stronger she was when they're on battlefield and he had seen many times she saved others with her medical jutsu. He thought woman would like it if he offered them courtesy and help, but with Sakura and Ino looks like on the contrary; it'll offend them. So Sai dismissed his falcon and beast, gathering his chakra back.
He ate his meals in silence while observing her from afar. Ino used her chakra to step up to put brick on higher ends. Her chakra control is great, not once she faltered or stumbled. He felt like he saw her actually flying. She didn't mind so much about the heat and sweat, she used her own handkerchief to swep away the sweat. Sometimes she just use her bare hand. Below the sun, her hair shinning like a golden stream.
The girl with sun on her hair, he dubbed her.
She had lean figure; a little too thin in his own opinion. He didn't understand why she insist to go on diet (he overheard Sakura and Ino had this conversation when he passed them of cafetaria's hospital) while she actually had the figure he considered 'thin enough'. She was actually quite easy on the eyes, considering he knew many men, shinobi and civil, who had eyes on her.
Even his fellow Anbu would talk about the infamous Yamanaka matriarch. She often came to HQ based on Ibiki-san request, and rumor said it's only matter of time she'll earn the Anbu vest and joined them in Interrogating Division. He learnt she had great sense of friendship among her comrades. Judging from other's talk about her bravery in mission to protect her comrades, putting her life on stakes, her loyalty to them.
He hadn't yet experienced those talks about her, but he's sure of it now. Sakura once told him that he should talk nicely from Ino now since she put great effort on saving him while on Land of Silence (this maybe the start of his conscious-self near her lately) and he did remember how relief he feel when she saved him. Now she did it again.
Ino stepped back to see her own works, half of the wall had been done. Her long, blonde hair put on neat ponytail will swing back and forth as she works. He wonder how to keep those haired always looks good, while he himself always had the need to cutting down his longer hair. He wonder how would it feel against his skin; he had read it somewhere that a girl's hair is as soft as a silk. He hadn't yet a chance to try touch Sakura's hair, his love for his life win over his curiosity.
He wondered how her delicate form could handle such a heavy work, and why she even accepted it. Those fingers of her dancing on the hardness of brick, around the hot burning walls. Those fingers would perfect if it was on the flowers, just like she always did on her shop. He knew she own a flower shop, but he never once come, since he never had any need for flowers.
Beneath the tree, Sai realized this was the first time he actually pay attention to her. Yamanaka Ino was not just a name with blurred face in his head; he had great details on her form, and now with more and more information added about her. With all that, his curiosity peak too, hungry for more information about her he hadn't yet to know.
Slowly, Ino took his interest.
Ino ready to jump to put another brick in higher end when the black ink beast came closer to her. The owner had walking up to her from his post beneath the tree.
"Oh, feeling better already?"
"Much better. Thank you." She gave him the brick on her hand and sit, leaning against the walls. She commented about the heat practically burning her skin and she wished to have cold shower after all of this. Sai drew big umbrella ink to protect her from sun stroke.
"Geez, you could do that already from the start."
"Women are hard to read. I wouldn't know if you didn't give me clue." He retorted, putting the brick. Ino snickered at his blunt answer, but then take a good look at him.
"Hey. Why you accept the mission if you just barely finish one?" he looked at her as if she just ask a basic question.
"Wasn't shinobi supposed to accept mission? What else they'd do for life?"
"You can deny it though, if it's only a D-rank or C-rank. And you have good reason for that, according to your health." Sai shrugged.
"Maybe because I don't know any other way. I never deny a mission." Ino's gaze softened at him.
"Is that what you do during your ROOT time? not a chance to deny a mission?" Sai stopped midtrack, unsure how to answer. He didn't talk much to anyone about his past life.
"Not even chance to questioned." He finally replied. "We had ROOT seal on our tongue so the information about organization wouldn't leaked out. One would die if they talk about what's inside organization." He informed her the same thing he once told Naruto and Sakura.
"Why? But that's cruel!" Ino suddenly stood up, facing him. Sai almost stepped back because her sudden leaning over him.
"Because ROOT has done many questionable things for the sake of Konoha." He answered. "assassination of Sasuke Uchiha was one of it."
Ino blinked, hearing that. "But now you're not part of it again. You should stop accepting mission just for the sake of country."
He put down another brick and face her.
"If I didn't do any mission, I'd be no use for this country,"
Ino's thick eyelashes battled down against her skin below her eyes. She had those big, aquamarine shade of eyes that captivating him. Silence engulfed them, then in sudden she punch him hard on chest, effectively sending him fell backward.
"Ouch, what's that for?!" although it's not a deadtly punch, it still stinging on his chest.
"It hurts isn't it?"
"It's beyond hurt." He replied, annoyed. Ino watched him stand back on his feet again before continue. She had her hand on her hips, eyes glaring at him as if he just do something that made her angry. Up until this second, Sai had no idea what he done wrong. Ino pointed at his chest, right where she had hit him before.
"You felt hurt, that prove you're a human. Not some lifeless weapon used to do mission. So stop made yourself as a robot and start to life like any man would do."
He left stunned with that, her words sunk into him.
"Geez, you're way too slow. Give me those bricks." She commanded bossily.
It's the first time they both work side by side, fixing the crumbled walls. Somehow, it felt funny as if they just fixing broken part of themselves.
It's late afternoon, right when sun sets they finally finish the south wall.
"I'm heading home now. You're coming?" Sai shook his head at her offer.
"I'll stay here a little bit. You can go first." Sai's beast drew himself closer to her, as if telling her go ride on his back soon.
"You lend him to me again?" she pointed at the beast. "you can make him into Konoha's public transportation." Sai raise his eyebrow, not really catch her jokes.
"You said you're friends with him. I let you spent more time with it."
"I didn't meant it when I said I'd get used to it as pet… wait, I didn't told you anything about me being friends with your creature, did I?" Sai blinked. "I did talk to him, but…"
Ino closed her mouth in sudden, eyes bulged.
"Y-you heard all that?!" she pointed accusingly at him. Sai titled his head in innocent smile.
"My chakra infused ink creation was part of me. I can sense what it senses and hear what it hears…"
Ino went all red hearing that.
