R&R
In Secret, In Silence
Author's Note: Well, this certainly took long enough... I came across it while I was looking through my documents, and I was a little disappointed when I saw I hadn't finished the whole chapter. So I did! and here it is! I'm back on the bandwagon! And hope you are too!
Chapter Four
"I'm sorry I had to bring you into this Ino."
They were alone in the elevator that was to take them to their next destination within the headquarters. There were no windows present from what she had seen, so she guessed they must be somewhere out of plain sight.
"Would an alarm sound if I stopped the elevator?"
Shikamaru was confused at the question from the blonde that stood as rigid as stone, but he quickly came to the conclusion that perhaps she was having seconds thoughts, or the gravity of the situation and the information practically thrown at her had finally caught up to her. He would be right in his assumptions. If he could look at her eyes, he would see the swirl of emotions; sadness, anger, confusion, longing, regret. There were so many emotions swirling through the blond that all she wanted was to pause this very moment to get a hold of her bearing. It was as if all the emotions had taken their toll, and all she wanted was rest.
"Most likely, yes," he answered her. She sighed, turned around to look at the person she considered her best friend, and without warning walked towards him and wrapped her arms around him tightly.
"I only wish you had brought me into this sooner Shika, that I could have learned about all of this and been able to do something about it before now," his warmth helped soothe the chaos of emotions that raged within, and as his own arms encircled around her she focused of his embrace and for the moment forgot about NINJA, her father, and the prisoner she was to interrogate.
He felt something stir within him, something he wasn't quite sure how to describe. He had always been there for Ino when she needed someone to vent to, but she had always been the kind to yell and complain about this or that. He was there to listen to her banter and pick up the pieces when she got especially violent and broke a few decorations around her apartment. But he had never seen her like this; he had never seen her look so vulnerable, so exhausted, and so pained. It was as if he had placed a heavy burden upon her shoulders, and no matter what she said, he hated himself for it.
But he also knew that this was bigger than him, bigger than them both. He had a duty to do what he could to save as many lives as he could, and if they didn't stop the Sound, innocent people would continue to be killed. And while it meant bringing her into a world of danger, it was also where she belonged. She deserved to know what she really was, what really happened with her father, and it was her choice whether she would use her abilities to serve NINJA and bring down the Sound.
And for those reasons, there was only one thing he could offer her.
"I'll be here for you."
Her grip on him tightened, and she fought the lump that suddenly rose in her throat.
"Thank you Shika. I won't let you down."
He smiled, knowing that a Yamanaka never broke their promise, and would go to the ends of the Earth to fulfill it.
"I know you won't. Now let's meet a few members of NINJA, I think you'll like them."
She nodded and gave him a smile, it wasn't a genuine one, but it was a step into getting ahold of her emotions. So she turned and faced the elevator doors, ready to enter this new chapter her life had suddenly taken. The elevator reached her destination, and butterflies gathered in her stomach at the uncertainty of what she was about to enter. She breathed in deep as the doors opened, and she almost choked on her breath as she saw who waited on the other side.
There, grinning, stood none other than her other best friend.
"Choji!"
His grin widened.
"Heard you would be joining us Ino," he said calmly.
"You're a neohuman too?" her eyes were wide despite the fact she knew she shouldn't be surprised by now, but it looked like life wasn't done throwing surprises her way.
"You're asking me? All this time you could have been working with us!"
Ino didn't know what to say as another lump in her throat grew. Once more she felt lost in the world. Here was her second best friend, who she had spent so much time with growing up, who she thought he knew so well, only to discover that he was involved in something so much bigger. Something her father had risked his life for, and the life she was about to enter.
"Well, better late than never is what I always say," Ino forced yet another grin on her face, and wished more than anything that she could just press a fast forward to the point she felt she knew what she was doing.
If Ino could describe the room they had just entered, she would say it looked like the typical high-tech FBI and CIA intelligence rooms that were shown in every action movie she had sat down to watch with Shikamary and Choji when it was their turn to pick the movie for movie night. Ino almost smiled at the irony of it all, at the thought that her friends were the real thing all along.
"Ino Yamanaka?"
Ino turned to the feminine voice that called her name, and what immediately caught her attention was the pink hair that adorned the heal of pale skin and emerald eyes. The girl wore a red and pink outfit, with a metal headband she had subtly noticed on all of the members that she had met atop her head.
"That's me," Ino answered with a straight face in response to the girl.
She felt relieved when the girl gave her a comforting smile in return, the simple action soothing the nerves that flared up at the sound of her name.
"Ino, this is Haruno Sakura, our best medical specialist besides Lady Tsunade," Shikamaru filled her in as the pink-haired girl approached the three.
Sakura held out her hand in front of her and Ino didn't hesitate to reach out her own and shake the girl's hand, noting the roughness that accompanied it. Was that the life of NINJA members? She tried to remember if her father's hands had been this way, an indication that everything they had told her was true. But no matter how hard to tried to remember, she could barely remember what his hugs felt like.
"It's nice to meet you Ino. I was impressed when I heard that you were able to bring Neji to his knees without even touching him," she told her and for a second Ino was confused, until she remembered the event that had brought her to this place in the first place.
To think that it had happened only days prior, and now it felt like a world away.
"I have a habit of making men fall to their knees in front of me," despite her situation, Ino couldn't help but give a witty reply.
Sakura laughed in response, and Ino felt a little better by making the situation a little lighter than she felt it really was.
"I'd offer to give you a tour, but unfortunately Lady Tsunade has given me orders to give you a full physical right away, and to inform you on the Activation Process right away."
Ino looked shocked, and her nerves flared up once more at how quickly things were moving.
"Wait, what? Activation Process?"
Sakura nodded, and Ino could see the look that all doctors placed on their face when they were trying to comfort someone that was on their way for a treatment.
"I'm afraid that time is essential, but I promise to explain everything you need to know while we're in the examining room."
Ino turned to look at her two best friends, and they nodded in response, silently urging her to move forward with the girl she whose name was all she knew. This was a world she knew nothing about, a world where she knew she didn't have the luxury of preparing for. But as she looked at her best friends, the look in their eyes told her they'd be right there next to her, holding her hand whenever she needed it.
And that was all she needed to know to nod her head, and accept whatever was coming her way.
"So I've been dying to ask you... is your hair natural?"
Sakura laughed at her question, knowing very well that most people didn't think pink hair could ever be natural. Of course, Ino now knew a little more than normal people.
"As a Neohuman, our genetic makeup is different than regular people, as I'm sure Lady Tsunade explained to you."
Ino nodded as she sat on the bench in the typical sterilized white walls that defined a medical room.
"Well, as it turns out, pink hair was one of those things that happened as a result of the changes to our DNA."
"I see..." Ino replied, "but at least it saves you the hassle of having to dye it every week."
Sakura smiled and nodded, but got right back to business.
"Because our genetic make-up was tempered with in order to make us stronger than normal people, we have hidden potential that they don't. As you found out on your own, the technique you possess is such a potential that you were able to tap into. However, you also possess other hidden potentials. Many of which you are able to find and tap into with years of training."
"Years?" for some reason, Ino had yet to consider how long she would be in this world, even though something told her that now that she was in it, she couldn't leave even if she wanted to.
Sakura once more gave her a comforting smile, maybe having an idea of what was in her mind.
"Thankfully for you, we have managed to find a way that enables you to tap into most of your potential through the Activation Process. This way, you don't have to spend those years trying to find them on your own."
Ino felt slightly relieved, but still feeling like a fish out of water in this unfamiliar situation.
"What kind of potential are we talking about?" she asked.
"Well, the main goal of the Neohuman Project was to enhance abilities like speed, strength, stamina, and overall physical capabilities. The techniques that many of us possess were an unexpected result."
Ino nodded in understanding, wishing this was something that she just simply knew.
"And how does the Activation Process go?"
For the first time, Sakura lost the comforting doctor look, and Ino felt her stomach twist at what she was about to tell her.
"In truth, it is not a pleasant process at all. It takes several days, where you will be placed in the Activation Chamber. We will try to keep you asleep most of the time, but you will still feel its effects in your subconscious. After all, this is a forceful activation, not something that you ease yourself into. Typically, when we begin as NINJA operatives, we are given time to try and activate as much of our potential as we can until we are grown and are able to handle the effects of the process."
Ino wanted to complain, to yell at this girl that she shouldn't be expected to handle such a process that operatives prepared themselves for. She had only agreed to interrogate this Sasuke Uchiha guy, not to become a full-fledged operative.
Sakura must have seen the look on her face, because she sighed and leaned against the bedding next to her.
"Ino, I know that this whole thing came out of nowhere. I remember how I felt when I was told all of this too. But we are at war, and this is the sacrifice that we have to make to protect those that we care about, to end the war before too many innocent lives are lost as casualties. "
Ino's anger faltered, and she considered the very reason why she had agreed to help them in the first place. She wanted revenge, to avenge her father and destroy the Sound. How could she do it in her state? She knew nothing about fighting, nothing about this world where this war was taking place. Wouldn't going through the Activation Process be worth it if it meant that she could be closer to her goal? Wouldn't she have a better chance if she was capable of these inhuman abilities?
"The process doesn't have to be today Ino, you can take some time to prepare yourself. But like I said, time is of the essence. The more we wait, the longer the Sound has to try and get Sasuke back. And as much as I hate to admit it, it's not outside their powers to do it."
Ino nodded slowly and sighed in defeat. It seemed it really wasn't her choice after all, and all she could do was prepare herself for what she was about to do.
"When's the soonest I can do it?" she asked quietly, and didn't miss the look of surprise on Sakura's face.
"Uh, well, it takes a few hours to get everything ready, four at the most. Are you sure you don't want more time?" Sakura asked, slightly concerned.
Ino smiled as she turned to face the girl.
"Why postpone the inevitable? I don't think I'll ever be truly ready for this, but I know it's what I have to do."
Sakura smiled back at the blond woman, feeling some admiration for the way she was handling it.
"Spoken like a true NINJA operative."
Ino's smile faltered, and she sighed once more. She never dreamed to be a soldier, but now it looked like that was what she would become.
"Can I see Choji and Shikamaru first?" Ino asked, knowing now would be one of those times when she wanted them to hold her hand.
"Of course, they're probably still waiting outside."
Ino nodded, and the two girls walked towards the door that would take them outside. Just like she hoped, Shikamaru and Choji were still outside, leaning against the opposite wall of the hallway that was the medical wing.
The two men looked questionably at the girls, and Ino was glad when Sakura answered their silent question.
"I'll begin preparing the Activation Chamber right away."
The two men looked shocked as they turned their gaze to Ino.
"Are you sure about this Ino? You can wait until tomorrow, get a good night's sleep…" Choji told her in his concerned voice.
Ino tried to smile reassuringly at the two.
"Why bother? I hear I'll be sleeping most of the time anyway."
"Ino…" she frowned at the sound of Shikamaru's pleading voice. For some reason, it always unnerved her when he didn't sound sure about something, and second guessing this decision was the last thing she wanted to do.
"Listen Shikamaru, if I'm going to be brought into this world of yours, I don't have the luxury of taking my time. Not when there's a prisoner I have to interrogate, and certainly not when there's a war going on. My father gave his life for this cause, and I don't intend to let it be in vain if there's a chance I can help end it all."
At her words Choji's and Shikamaru's gazes lost their concern and hardened instead, knowing a motivated Ino when they saw it. Perhaps Ino had her priorities in order after all…
Seeing the situation calm down, Sakura once more addressed the trio.
"I'll let you know when the chamber is ready. It should be a few hours. Please make sure not to eat anything, only have liquids until then."
Ino nodded at her directions, and Sakura nodded at them before she walked down the hallway.
It soon became obvious she wouldn't have been able to eat even if she wanted to. Her appetite was non-existent and even the water that Choji and Shikamaru encouraged her to drink tasted like sand in her mouth. She could only take small sips at a time, and even that didn't seem to go down easily.
The two had taken her to the Rec room of the building, since it seemed even operatives needed some entertainment and place to wind down. The place was surprisingly warm, with soft couches and a TV in a corner, a pool table, dartboard, and other small sitting areas. Thankfully, there was no one there at the time, because Ino didn't really want to meet anyone new at that moment.
"You really amaze me Ino," Choji told her with an easy smile as he ate a chocolate bar.
"Why's that?" she asked distractedly as she kept her gaze fixed on a random point on the wall, feeling that just meeting his gaze would make her break down.
"Well, you're being incredibly brave about this. Already you sound like a soldier, and I'm sure you'll be a great one too," Ino tried to smile gratefully at her friend.
"I have to be brave, otherwise I won't be able to face a member of the enemy and get the information we need…"
The two nodded, knowing that facing Sasuke would not be an easy feat at all. Still, that was something that could wait a little longer. Right now, they had to focus on helping Ino as she rushed into something they knew was not pleasant at all. To this day neither tried to remember the day they had to go through the process, and neither liked the thought that Ino would have to go through it. Especially without prior training like they had been able to undergo.
"Listen Ino, no matter how fast you want to get this over with, it'll take some time after you get out of the Activation Chamber to fully recover. Promise me that you won't push yourself when that time comes."
At the sound of his voice, Ino felt the need to look at Shikamaru, and as she met his intense gaze, she knew this was a request she shouldn't deny. He had that protective look in his eye, the look that said if she didn't do it, he'd make her do it regardless, or at least make sure she regretted it. But she knew he meant well.
So she nodded and took another sip of water.
"What does it feel like? If it's not supposed to feel good, what does it feel like?"
Choji and Shikamaru shared a look, and Ino wondered what they were silently asking each other. In the end, it was Choji who answered.
"Well, I'm not sure if everyone feels it the same. But to me, it felt as if something was being ripped out of me, all over my body. It's like having a really bad cold with a bad fever, where you feel hot one second and cold the next."
Ino felt herself shiver at the description. She had never been particularly good at handling pain, and now she might have to go through the most painful experience she ever had.
"What about for you Shika?" Ino asked, hoping that maybe it would be different.
He stayed silent for a second, before sighing.
"Much the same to me, its like being burned one second, and then dunked into ice cold water the next, over and over again."
Ino nodded slowly.
"I need to use the bathroom," she said as she stood up, placing the water down.
Choji and Shikamaru shared another look.
"Okay, we'll take you."
Ino shook her head.
"No, it's okay. I saw it on our way here," she assured them as she began walking towards the door that would take her out of the room.
She sighed in relief once she was away from the two men. For some reason, she felt suffocated by the concern in her eyes. Did they not think she could handle what she was about to go through? Even to be truthful with herself, she wasn't sure she could handle it herself.
She wasn't even looking for a bathroom as she walked away from the room, too lost in her thoughts.
"Are you lost?" the familiar voice caught her attention and she looked up to see the familiar lavender eyes of Mr. Dead Face.
"No, I'm just… prepping myself," she answered truthfully.
"For?"
"The Activation Process," she said.
She was not pleased when even he looked surprised at her response.
"So soon?" he asked, and she nodded.
"Well, there's a prisoner to be interrogated, and if you guys haven't been able to break him, than I doubt I'll be able to do much myself, especially if I'm not at my strongest."
Neji nodded in understanding.
"May I offer some advice?"
Ino was surprised at his request, not expecting advice at something like this. All she was getting from Choji and Shikamaru was concern, and some encouragement, but neither had thought to give her some advice.
"Please do…" she replied.
"When you're in the chamber, focus on your goal. Don't think about the pain, think about the strength that you will have after it's over. Think of all the reasons why you're doing this."
Ino's body tensed as she absorbed his words, making them permanent in her mind. All she could do was stare at him after he spoke, and he stood there and let her.
"I'm sorry… about invading your mind. I have a bad habit of wanting to know what other people know," she replied with an easy smile.
"Here, that'll be a habit that can help us," he replied, choosing to ignore her apology, and not seeing the need for one. If anything, it was a good turn of events.
Ino sighed.
"Is that what you, we, are here? Tools?"
She didn't know what to think of that. She didn't want to feel like she was reduced to a weapon without a will, but what else could they be? She already felt like she had no say in the manner, not without being selfish at least.
"There are worse things than being a tool," he replied, answering her silent thoughts.
Like being ignorant of your father's death, and your own life and abilities… She thought to herself.
"I'm scared."
For some reason, she felt better confiding in this man than her own best friends. She felt as if he understood her better, because he wasn't concerned for her well-being, only the final goal that would come from it. With him, she didn't feel the need to reassure him, but saw him as a way to unburden herself.
He looked right at her then, his lavender-eyes staring right into her azure pair. She felt as he was gauging her then, looking for something that she could only guess at.
"You should be."
As he walked away, his stark words felt far more reassuring then the concern her own best friends had shown her.
Okay, so here's the next installment. The more I think about what's coming in the next few chapters, that more I'm tempted to say forget Sasuke! I want Neji with Ino! Haha just kidding. It's still up to you guys who you'd like to see as the final pairing. So don't be shy and let me know what you think of this so far!
