Well, look at that! It's only been, what? Half a year? Yeah. Sorry about that. I'm kinda terrible at remembering stuff.
Well, I hope you all had a Happy New Year! Enjoy!
To say that Ino was in a good mood would be an understatement. A bright smile was plastered across her face and as she walked down the street, the sun seemed to shine a spotlight on her alone. In only a day, the news of the rude sand-nin publicly humiliating, harassing, and molesting the Hyuuga heir had flashed through the village like lightning. It seemed as if all the Hyuuga clan members were keeping their pale eyes open, searching feverishly for Kankuro. To attempt to finish the bet would foolish, almost suicidal, in fact. The smartest thing to do would be to go back to Suna, admit Ino was right, and most importantly give her the money so she could finally buy the necklace she'd been aching for.
In fact, Ino planned to take care of the last task that very day. She strut though the entire village, almost glowing with happiness, weaving through the buildings while searching for the jewelry shop. Sure, she didn't exactly have all the money yet, but that didn't mean she couldn't at least check on the beauty before buying it, right? After all, if she pleaded enough, maybe Ino could persuade the saleslady to let her take home the necklace and pay her back later that very day!
The bell above the doorway rang playfully as Ino enthusiastically opened the door. The saleslady stopped polishing the glass case and turned to the young girl. An exuberant smile crossed her face and her eyes glinted with greed. The blond girl was back! Time to make the sale of the century!
"Miss!" the saleslady gushed. "You've come to grace my store with your presence, yet again!" Ino giggled and the woman grinned. It was a good sign. "My, your shirt looks lovely today... But I must admit that there is something missing to complete your ensemble."
Ino played along, although she knew exactly where the woman was going. "Oh?"
"Oh, yes!" the saleslady cooed. "Wouldn't you look even more gorgeous with this wrapped around your neck?" With a grand flourish of the hand, the woman glided up to the glass case, stopping before the prize piece of her display. Ino inwardly squealed. The diamonds in it seemed to sparkle even brighter now that she was so close to getting it!
Ino continued drooling in front of the necklace as the woman took it from the case. "Do you have the money?"
"Oh, the money..." Ino said. Time to work that Yamanaka charm! "Of course I have it! I just don't have a measly two-hundred and seventy-five yen, that's it. But I promise I'll have it soon. Today, even! So how's about an IOU for one of your most loyal costumers ever on the face of the earth?"
A finger inched up onto the saleswoman's chin in contemplation. She couldn't give out the necklace without the cash paid in full, no. That would be completely against store policy. Still, she doubted the blonde girl would be that put off by her decision. After all, she had her positively hooked. The Yamanaka girl was committed to the necklace, no matter how long it may take before she could buy it.
Really committed, actually. Extremely committed. The saleswoman could tell by the gleam in the young girl's eyes that she would do most likely anything to get her prize. The saleswoman grinned wider as she snuck another look at the blonde's pleading face. Oh yes, she could make this sale even sweeter.
"Miss, you know I would love to do that for you. After all, as a woman myself, I understand your longing for this majestic beauty! The problem is, however, my boss is an absolute pain-in-the-neck and would fire me for sure. She's completely ridiculous. In fact, I'm sorry to say she did something way out of line just this morning!"
"What did she do?"
"Why, she upped the price of this necklace!" the saleswoman cried with mock-horror.
Ino gasped in shock. "That bitch! Where is she? I'm gonna yell and scream and tear her hair out until she's sorry she ever messed with Yamanaka Ino!" The girl pounded her fist into her hand in a threatening manner, rage radiating from her body. The saleswoman's eyes bugged out. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.
"No, no! That would do no good. She's as stubborn as a mule!" Like you, the woman almost added. "She'd probably yell right back or up the price even more. That fiend!"
"That fiend!" Ino agreed.
"There is good news, at least," the woman began, her sly smile returning to her face. "The price change isn't too drastic. It's only about..." The saleswoman wracked her brain for a price. How much more money could she cheat the young girl out of? She couldn't ask for something too drastic, of course. Perhaps 500? 600? Yes, 600 would be enough. The perfect amount to pocket, the woman decided. "600 yen. That shouldn't be too hard for someone with your great status to scrape up, right?"
Ino nodded her head after a fraction of a second. After all, if this was what it took to get the necklace of her dreams, then Ino would do anything in her power to scrape up the cash. "I'll be back here with the money as soon as I can," Ino agreed while scurrying to the door. "One thing you should know about Yamanaka Ino is that she never quits!"
The saleslady smirked as the front door swung shut. If only the rest of her customers were even half as 'determined' as the Yamanaka girl.
Ino grimaced as she surveyed the hallway of the hotel. The carpet was thread bare, the paintjob was peeling, and the walls were so thin she could hear some honeymoon couple arguing up on the fifth floor, despite the fact that she was only on the second. She'd always assumed the sand siblings were important enough suna ninjas to stay at a more lavish hotel, but obviously she was mistaken. Why, even her family, with their modest flower shop and father's expensive drinking habits, could afford much more comfortable accommodations!
It only took her two minutes to find correct room. Second floor and thirteenth door (the one with the mysterious dark red stain on it), just like the mousy girl at the front desk had told her. Behind it, she could hear intense scuffles and what seemed to be intimate murmurs. Ino's eyes widened. What in the world could Kankuro be doing in there if the only girl present was his sister? She almost gagged at the insinuation.
Then, a thought came to her mind. A terrible thought! A terrible, atrocious, disgusting, and altogether despicable thought that would absolutely thwart her plans and hopes! What if the sand-nin had gone ahead and moved on to the next girl on his list? What if she actually fell for his charms? What if Sakura was in there at that very moment, doing questionable things with Kankuro, despite how disgusting the thought alone is?
Ino cringed and knocked hard against the door, her fists nearly denting the wood. She heard a muffled curse and a female voice ordered with annoyance, "Go get the damn door!"
Temari? Ino's disgusted face relaxed. As long as it wasn't Sakura, she'd be happy. What Kankuro did with his sister was his own business. Assumming it was him, of course. But who else could she be with? Ino pressed her ear to the door, trying to make out more voices. All she heard were a couple of deep mutters; whoever he was, he wasn't willing to comply to Temari's orders. In response, Ino heard the sound of fist meeting stomach. There was a groan and the man's footsteps slowly padded towards the door. Ino jumped backwards just as the knob began turning, straightening her shirt and running her fingers through her bang.
"What do y-"
"Shikamaru?" Ino gaped.
"Um... I'm not here," her teammate replied lamely.
"What are you talking about?"
"I mean, I am here," Shikamaru corrected. "But I wasn't doing what you thought I was doing."
"What did you think I thought you were doing?" Ino teased.
"What do you think I thought you thought I was doing?" Shikamaru responded. He smirked, knowing Ino wouldn't have the brain capacity to pick apart the meaning of his question.
Sure enough, Ino only stared at him with a blank face. "Hey, Temari! What were you and Shikamaru doing before he answered the door?"
Temari grinned. "What were we doing? Oh, we were just-"
"Sparring," Shikamaru finished.
"On the couch?" Ino inquired.
Temari shouted "Yes" while at the same time Shikamaru muttered "No." Ino giggled to herself.
"Oh, they were sparring, alright!" a fourth voice suddenly interjected. Kankuro appeared in the room, snickering as he flopped onto the couch. "With their tongues, that is!"
"Shut up, Kankuro," all three demanded. The shinobi rolled his eyes. He was used to this response by now.
"Why are you even here, Yamanaka?" he asked offhandedly. "It's been, what? Two days?"
"Two days since what?" Shikamaru questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Go back to making out with your girlfriend, Shikamaru," Ino ordered. "This doesn't concern you."
"She's not my girlfr-" Temari whacked him the shoulder before he could finish his sentence. "Would you please stop hitting me, woman!"
"Shikamaru, let's go in my room and spar some more," she instructed while walking off.
"You're not gonna make me watch girly television again, right?" he muttered while following her.
Ino could see Temari's face color bright red in the dimly lit hallway. "So what if we are!" she hissed while pulling the door to her room shut.
The two remaining teenagers glared at each other in silence.
In deathly-quiet hateful silence, to be exact.
"Leave," Kankuro ordered, his dark eyes squinting through his freshly applied, purple face-paint.
"Why should I?" Ino challenged. "You didn't leave me alone when I was trying to work, did you? I believe it's perfectly acceptable form of payback for me to annoy you back."
"You never asked me to leave," he pointed out with a smug grin. "I'm beginning to think you're giving into your deep, rabid attraction to me. Don't try to deny it, Yamanaka. My ruggedly handsome good looks have that a affect on all girls."
Ino let out a snort. "That's not what's been going around the village." The blonde placed a defiant hand on her hip and narrowed her eyes. "What's this I've heard about your date with poor, little Hinata? Didn't you, like, kill her or something?"
"No, I didn't kill her!" Kankuro whined. "She just kinda... passed out a little. But, c'mon! Who wouldn't if they found an Adonis like me attached to their lips?"
"Kankuro, she was so distressed that they had to schedule a meeting with a therapist after you left. Getting the crap scared out of you doesn't sound like an amazing kissing experience." Ino took a deep breath. Here was her opening. "You know what that means, right?"
Kankuro looked downwards with a scowl. "Yeah, I know," he growled. He really wasn't looking forward to the annoying blonde's gloating.
"It means you're gonna have to work even harder to prove your skills."
"Yeah, it me- Wait, what?" Kankuro's eyes widened in surprise. To be honest, he was expecting her to try to convince him to forfeit the deal, not encourage him. After all, the fact that the entire Hyuuga clan was dangerously angered by him was a very big obstacle. He had to admit that there was no way he could leave his hotel room and stay alive, no matter how humongous his self-confidence might be. In fact, that very day he had been planning on returning (AKA, sneaking) to Suna for 'personal business' in order to bypass both the bet and his payment to Ino. The suna-nin groaned inwardly. The blonde's peculiar actions were sending his plans completely off-kilter! "I mean, yeah! That's exactly what I'm gonna do! And I'm gonna win, too! 'Cuz, you know. I'm cool like that."
Ino smiled. Phase 1 of operation: 'Get More Effing Money from Kankuro' was going perfectly.
Her grin faltered for a moment. She really needed to think of a shorter name.
"Good, good," Ino muttered. "You know, I could give you a little bit of help, if you want. What do you think?"
Kankuro stared at her incredulously. What did the girl think she was doing? "What's the catch?" he demanded. "You're not supposed to help the person your betting against, bimbo. Even I'm not that stupid!"
Ino laughed in what she hoped was a laid-back way, although she was secretly steaming about the bimbo comment. "I guess you caught me. I've got to confess something. And before your sorry excuse for a brain gets carried away, no. It's not my undying love for you." Kankuro rolled his eyes. As if he'd want her undying love. "Watching you make a fool out of yourself in front of girl after girl is the most entertaining thing I've seen since, well, ever!" Ino giggled to herself. "That's why I've taken it upon myself to locate the address of your second challenge, Tenten. There's only one condition, of course."
Still, the sand ninja peered at Ino with suspicion. "And what might that 'condition' be? Just to let ya' know, if it involves lack of clothing, the face paint stays, no matter what!"
"Ew," Ino said. "No way. That's just disgusting. All I want is a raise in price."
"Meaning..?"
"Meaning I want to raise it by 600. The new price is set at 900 yen, got it?"
"Why do you need to raise it?" Kankuro asked.
Ino flipped her pony-tail over her shoulder. "That's nobody's business but mine. Now, say yes and get back to embarrassing yourself, 'kay?"
The corner's of Kankuro's painted lips turned downwards. The new stakes wouldn't be such a big deal, right? It wasn't outrageously high, hard to accomplish, or even insanely embarrassing. Besides, it would bring him one step closer to his next date; he didn't want to come in contact with Ino's best friend unless it was absolutely necessary. For all he knew, she could be even worse.
"Fine," he finally agreed. "900, it is. Now, hand over the address, already!"
Ino's heart leapt. All according to plan. Excitedly, she dug through her pocket, pulling out a daintily folded piece of stationary. She threw it on the suna-nin's lap, not wanting to come in contact with his hands. Who knows where those things had been?
"Pleasure doing business with you," she said while sticking her nose in the air.
"Whatever," Kankuro muttered while wrinkling his nose at the printed, pink roses that adorned the paper. "Just get out of here, already!"
Ino complied happily, slamming the door unnecessarily loud behind her. Operation: 'Get More Effing Money from Kankuro' was complete! Ino's sunny demeanor returned as she continued through the village.
Time to set Operation: 'Ruin Kankuro's Pitiful Reputation During his Date with Tenten for Good This Time' into action!
Ino frowned once again. Yeah. She definitely needed to work on her naming skills.